LETHAL VECTOR: The Sinnoh civil war
by Ajay46
Summary: Pokémon. Deceit. Conspiracy. Deception. Assassins. Lies. Betrayal. Assassins. Bounty hunters. Vengeance. Secrets. Shadow-Triad. Lucarios. Snipers. Aura. WMDs. Hunts. Killing. Identity. Mystery. GRUE! Vectors… Lethal vectors.
1. 1ast flight to Hoenn

I DON'T own Pokémon (well, I have a few of the games). I DO own Lethal Vector. I DO own my characters (and if you steal them without asking I will hunt you down and yell at you in BOLD/ITALIC caps lock _**JUST LIKE THIIIIIIIS!**_ See how scary it is? Beware…).

"_Telepathy." Or emphasis._

**Character thought.**

_**SUPA-EMPHASIS!**_ _**Or if I'm yelling at you for plagiarism…**_

There are a group of select people whom are known to few. They are called Vectors, and they are dangerous.

Six doesn't exist. He never has, and likely never will. His birth went unrecorded, his parents were never identified. He spent his entire childhood being trained as a Vector. At the age of eighteen, he became one. He became the best. Three years down the track and a thousand of victims later, he's done something bad… something _really _bad… All his life, his targets' deaths had little global effect, except to "better the world in the long run" as he was told. Somewhat important people whose deaths would have no noticeable, immediate effect on the world. That is – until his very last job…

Shit hit the fan.

Elise has always existed – whether the Unovans like it or not. They gave her things to appease her. They thought that if they kept her happy, she wouldn't dig too deep into her past. She did – and now the Unovans aren't happy… They _really_ aren't happy… In fact – now they need her _dead._

After Elise finds Six unconscious on the side of a winding mountain road with nothing but the clothes on his back, a mystery Pokémon egg, thousands of dollars in cash and a dozen fake passports, they're both stuck together in the middle of a civil war, and _each_ hunted by their own separate groups of bounty hunters and assassins. But maybe… _maybe_ they can help each other out…

Pokémon. Deceit. Conspiracy. Deception. Assassins. Lies. Betrayal. Assassins. Bounty hunters. Vengeance. Secrets. Shadow-Triad. Lucarios. Snipers. Aura. WMDs. Hunts. Killing. Identity. Mystery. GRUE!

Vectors…  
Lethal vectors.

"_I gave everything to my country… and she betrayed me… I was the greatest patriot. I gave up my soul for my land. I gave up the best of my life to keep them safe… and they stabbed me in the back…"_

[/ LETHAL VECTOR \\\\\\\\\\]

[ 1: 1ast flight to Hoenn]

*Somewhere over Hoenn*

"_Ladies and gentlemen- I'd like to be the first to welcome you to the Hoenn region."_

A chorus of joy and excitement rose from the passengers, accompanied shortly by the ring of champagne flutes toasting. There was a little talk, bubbling enthusiastically and seemingly without care in the world. The fervour settled again as the novelty soon wore off, and the occupants simmered back down to their general "flight banter" again.

In one corner of the plane, three men and a woman had set themselves up comfortably in a huge leather booth, flanked by Lucario on either side. Each of the humans sported military uniforms- all of them high-ranking judging by the walls of gleaming medals decorating each's breast. At the table in front of them, a pale bubble clung to the mouth of a champagne bottle. The second opened of two- the first empty and lying on its side adjacent, on the floor.

The four of them chuckled in unison, extending the pleasantries a little further with another round of toasts between their private sect.

"I can't believe I ever doubted you, Colonel." The woman laughed. She snorted a little, stopping suddenly, but revived with a spontaneous outburst of laughter, catching with the other three also.

"I can't believe it either." The man in the middle – the one taking the most leg room for himself – laughed. "I told you I would get there in the end."

"You sir –" The man next to him raised the will to speak. "– you sir – I tip my hat to you." He lifted a hand to his balding forehead. He paused for a moment, touching his scalp questioningly, before exploding into laughter. "I'm not wearing a hat!" He roared, slapping his knee.

"He's a rather inept drinker." The colonel evaluated to the silent man. The silent man nodded, feigning a meagre grin, feeling a little uncomfortable. Looking about the plane's interior – it seemed he was the only one feeling so. After all – he was the only one who was doing any speaking. "What's wrong, boy?" The colonel alerted him with a hearty slap on the back, chuckling again. "You're too uptight!"

"I not allowed drink, colonel." The man smiled apologetically. "I have to be at full mental capacity. _Somebody _has to coordinate the conference."

"Good boy." The colonel laughed. "We'll get you some… fuck, what do kids drink these days? COLA! HEY! Get the boy some cola!" He called over his shoulder.

The curtain at the back of the room didn't budge. Nobody emerged, nobody parted the folds and stepped into the room with any cola. For a moment following the colonel's order- nobody did anything, and the cabin noise muted.

"Hey!" The colonel roared, beating his knee with his fist. "COLA! Now!"

Behind the curtain, a man glanced over his shoulder. His sharp eyes fixed on the curtain with a grunt as he scuffed a boot on the carpet. A smear of red appeared where he removed his foot from that patch, matting the carpet.

He shrugged a little, wriggling the straps of his parachute, checking it once more. He stepped casually over the bloody body of the air hostess, stepped out through the curtain.

The colonel lurched halfway out of his seat as the man emerged. "About bloody-damn time!" He shouted. The man glanced at him, and stopped just outside the curtain, cocking his head.

The cabin's quiet chatter died immediately. It didn't settle, or calm, or quieten – it fell totally dead in a second. Silence consumed all, the air growing thick with sweat and fear, backed by the mechanical hum of jet engines whirring outside.

"Arceus…"

"Tha- no... no way…"

"Oh, fuck…" The colonel gawked. He was so stunned that it took a moment of staring for his mind to jerk back into gear and recognise the man staring at him.

"Henry…" The woman beside him whispered as she tugged his sleeve with a tremendous sinking feeling. "Who is that?"

"I'm nobody." The man said to her. She jerked away a bit, surprised by his earshot. The man strode a few steps more into the room. His arms swayed slightly at his sides, hanging like pendulums.

At the other end, a Gallade leapt to his feet, making a step forward. "Don't!" The Pokémon stopped and gawked at the colonel, and the hand halting him. "You won't get far. Settle down!"

"Gall- Gallade!" The Pokémon protested, his face falling in shock. His fists clenched as his eyes narrowed on the man ahead. Loyalty and honour blinded his common sense. Common sense knew who this was.

"_Sir- we have to take him out!"_ The colonel's Lucario tightened his fists, staring intently at the newcomer with a certain fearful hatred. Similar story. Loyalty, pride and honour acted as a shroud, blotting the light of common sense. He stepped forwards with a growl, barely restraining himself and ready to leap at the first movement. _"You know what he does!"_

"Tell your attack dog to heel," The man added calmly. His teeth purposely flashed in the direction of the Lucario, provoking it further. "Or I'll put him down."

For a Pokémon of pride and honour- that pushed it _way_ too far. The Lucario attacked with a feral growl, raising a fist and diving for the man with fabled speed. He barely even made a single fabled step.

Before his foot even touched the ground, a quiet hum cut the air. His face froze with an indiscernible wet sound, and tiny flash of blood splashed from his temple as a line of azure shone for a brief moment. He collapsed immediately, his death illustrated by a colourful chorus of screams as he hit the floor. Dead.

*Sinnoh region. Top of Mt Coronet. 1,000 km away*

A Lucario lowered his arm, the blue glow fading from his eyes. Behind him, another seven similar held their arms too outstretched. Both arms outstretched, one digit on each pointing away into the distance. They all stood perfectly still, their sole animation being their aura receptors bobbing slightly in the chilling wind.

"_Another one bites the dust."_ The first commented with a slight grin, raising his arms again and rekindling his aura vision, realigning his focus.

"_Kinda sad when we kill one of us." _Another behind him added resignedly. _"Such a waste of good potential."_

*On da plane*

"Anyone else want to try anything smart?" The man suggested, glancing about. The passengers huddled back against the walls, shaking their heads quickly as fear and confusion rendered them helpless. "Good."

"Six…" The man glanced at another military personnel in the opposite corner. He sat calmly, composed still. He had too- being composed was his job. He sat on the edge of his seat, assuming as much control as he could muster over his terrified crew. "What do you want, Six?"

"I don't want anything." The man began towards the cockpit, striding calmly. It was the stride of unmatched confidence. The stride of an invincible man.

"There has to be a reason you're here." The man maintained, crossing his arms. He licked his lips briefly as he felt them crack a little, as if dried by the man's presence. He still chanced it: "Is this about your father?"

"I don't need to know who he is." Six shook his head, keeping his focus on the door ahead. "I just want you all to die." He bowed his head, and took a deep breath.

"_Do it."_ He ordered, throwing the words out through his mind for anyone listening to it.

He kept walking as the room behind him exploded for a moment. A few sharp, short screams sounded momentarily, but were silenced as more flashes of blue light shredded through the plane, punching tiny holes in the exterior and through the heads of every member in the plane. Blood rained, splashing from near-simultaneous fatal wounds as man and woman alike fell to the barrage. Every one took a perfect headshot, killing them all instantly within the time frame of half a second. Fourteen humans and three Pokémon dead in half a second. Blood splattered in tiny amounts on the pure white carpet, and oozed about the wounds of the dead passengers where it matted the floor.

He proceeded to the pilot's door and stopped at it. On his silent command, a faint pair of cracks sounded from the other side. Two more kills.

He left the door be and moved towards the exit. He turned sideways a little as three focus blasts fired through the hinges and lock, avoiding them by centimetres. The door ripped itself free with a gush of wind- and in a second Six followed.

He spread his arms as he flew out into space, and began his free-fall descent without as much as a budge in his perpetual indifference. **Three… two…** he counted in his head, running the time through his internal stopwatch at exact precision. **One.**

A fusillade of azure aura spheres hit. They each sparked up in turn, detonating blue with colossal force as a few dozen of them rhythmically crashed into the jet's engines. The engines blew quickly- exploding in a very different fireball of orange and littering parts through the air.

Six made a flip as he fell, searching about quickly. A squawk nearby caught his attention, and he turned to find a Fearow swooping downwards, parallel to his descent. The Pokémon rose a wary eye to glance at him, scrutinising for a second as they fell as similar speeds alongside, then turned its body and flared its wings. Six wrapped his arms awkwardly around the Pokémon's neck as it approached, and righted himself to face its direction. It quickly tilted its wings back, swooping down and levelling out as it neared the ground. Six lay flat on its back as his momentum still tugged him down, but the Pokémon's lift was sufficient to support his weight.

It beat its wings steadily, re-establishing a rhythm, and began towards the horizon.

"_That's it."_ A voice called through his mind- resonating from within. Six mumbled, and nodded.

"_That's all I wanted."_

"_No more favours, deathmark."_ The voice replied sternly. _"We owed you one. That one is repaid. If we see you again, we will be sure to kill you."_

"_Fair enough."_ Six replied, nodding as he gazed distantly into the setting sun. _"Six- out."_

*Two months later*

Six wore a backpack without markings or a logo. His shoes and clothing were the same story- no distinct pattern to their blandness and neutral colours. He was one of those background people- one of those people who didn't really mean anything to anybody who passed. He was nobody's concern. Not the weak, scrawny prey which criminals targeted. Not the tough, intimidating guy that cops pulled over to investigate. He was just that guy who was otherwise unremarkable…

Otherwise, save for the speckled orb held cradled awkwardly in his arms. Creamy white covering nearly all over, save three green splotches seemingly at random about it. It was – an egg.

He clung the thing to his body as the frigid mountain gust climbed from the valley falling just to his right and rolled icily across the pavement, only to fall to a stale stop where the mountain on the other side of the road rose up and out, forming a rocky overhang as shelter from the rain. The canyon whistled animatedly as the winds dipped in and out of its depths, playing a higher note than the spaced beats of thunder rocking the grey skies.

His coat shivered a bit as another gust consumed him, but his pace didn't slow. He clung close to the guard rail on his right. Off the road in case of any incoming vehicle. He had already passed two in the last hour – the place had more traffic than he had assumed.

The first had been an APC. Green and grey, both in dull shades.

The second was a Humvee. Similar paintjob. At the top, a foolhardy soldier braved the cold, sitting on the rim of the entrance hatch and smoking a cigarette. The odd thing about him, however, was that apart from his head, his entire body was encased in turquoise wrapping. Thin tendrils wrapping around his torso and arms. He raised a mummified hand briefly as they passed, waving shortly, then they too disappeared to the south.

Six's head fell with a sigh. His chin rested on the top of the cold egg. He wasn't even sure if it was still alive by this point. Eggs were naturally warm – this one wasn't.

"Looks like we're going to die together." Six sighed, a confusing rise of relief engulfing him. He turned out to the mountainous vista on his right as he walked, taking in the sight yet again. The valley climbed from its greatest depths and rose as a great mountainous range, splitting the heavens with their mighty glazed peaks. He was closed in by the ranges on either side. "Looks like Mount Coronet's our grave, huh?" He grunted a little and inspected the view from another angle. "It's a pretty nice place to die, I'd say," he glanced to the sky, "Huh, Arceus?"

The skies roared in answer, casting a momentous _boom _through the dead centre of the valley as a crack of lightning flashed about the apexes above.

"I thought so…" He nodded readily, and turned his focus back to the road. "Everything up until now… it's all been coincidence, then?" He asked wearily, accepting what was coming. "All chance. All simple luck…" again, he turned to the skies. "You don't want me, do you?"

_Boom._

"No…" He agreed. He licked his chilled lips, smearing them with a layer of brief, meagre warmth. His entire body was numb- he couldn't feel anything anymore. His legs ached and his weak arms felt even deader with the tremendous weight of the egg. The weight of his burden. "I should have never picked you up…" He sighed. He stopped walking, and stared at the egg. "I should have left you – now I've condemned you to death." He turned and fell backwards. His legs buckled, and his head struck the guardrail behind him. He ignored the pain, and collapsed against it as he lost strength. "So… this is the end…" He said.

He closed his eyes and relaxed. He gave his body to the chilling wind, and died into the light which had beckoned him for so long…

*1 hour later*

A blue figure dashed around the bend to the north, charging at furious speed. Its paws slapped quietly against the pavement in an impossibly fast rhythm as it sprinted.

It rounded the next bend, and eased to a stop suddenly. Her aura receptors flicked behind her head as her eyes darted about, scanning the scene. Her nose twitched as she scented the air.

"(Six…)" She growled as her eyes grew blue. She scanned the pavement, quickly sifting through the myriad of aura signatures painting the road. She spotted the one she was looking for. A trail of footsteps leading to the guard rail, becoming shorter and more staggered as it neared, then a patch of aura on and at the foot of the guard rail.

She slowly began towards it, all the while staring at a set of parallel tire marks immediately adjacent. Two darker patches on the pavement where a vehicle had stopped, then taken off again. She knelt beside the patch and placed a paw on it, closing her eyes. The residual aura sparkled and tingled to her touch, reacting in a unique pattern. The same pattern she felt from the guard rail, and the footsteps.

"(Six...)" She growled again and stood up, glancing to the south. "(When I find you…)" She started south with a sudden burst of energy, seething furiously. "(YOU'RE DEAD!)"

"Damn…" Six moaned and propped himself up on an elbow, rubbing his aching head. The floor beneath him was soft, yet firm. "Where am I?" He half-threw himself upright, finding himself in the back seat of a vehicle. Judging by the lack of tint and the practical interior, a civilian vehicle.

"You are lucky I came across you along when I did." The voice was distinctly female. Six couldn't see her properly with a haze of weariness blurring his vision, but he gained enough of his wits to at least sit upright and look ahead. "You almost froze out there. You are lucky."

"Some would call it that." He replied to his invisible driver as he rubbed his eyes on a sleeve. "I let fate guide me."

"And fate has guided you here, has it?" He looked up. A pair of emerald eyes appeared in the mirror ahead. Sharp and defined. Rather attractive eyes set in a fair skin tone. A lock of offset, jade hair was caught just hanging over one eye.

On the other side, a pair of silver pits met the woman's gaze. Ice looking and empty, nearly indistinguishable from the whites of his eyes. A rare genetic inheritance, seemingly.

"Looks like it." Six nodded, but watched her face carefully as he spoke.

"Peculiar." She commented. Her eyes never left the road, as if she weren't curious of her pick-up. "You are an interesting man. Where are you headed?"

"Jubilife." He stated as he shuffled across to the window and peered out. "Jubilife city."

"Staying on the west, I see?" The woman nodded. "A smart move. The west is where the favour lies."

"The Hoenneise are backing the west Sinnohvians. That's why." Six replied calmly. "The Honneise are most of the force behind the west."

"True." The woman nodded. That was true. The Hoenneise had been suspiciously quick to put their hand up and volunteer their troops to back the west, so she had heard. "Well, my unknown companion. I will admit – you have piqued my curiosity. What is your story?"

"What makes you think I have a story?" Six asked suspiciously. The eyes in the mirror lifted to meet his in their reflection. Their irises were remarkably intense. A pure, beautiful green which glimmered. They shone with a certain distorted glance of light, as if tainting it with their own little glow as the light left them.

"We all have a story, don't we?" She asked. She still watched Six. Her lithe fingers rested gingerly on the wheel, twirling it gently and easing the vehicle around the next bend without even watching the road. A tremendous display of nerve at the speed they were travelling at. "Even the lowly butcher has a story. Every cut on his skin, a close shave. Every missing finger, a painful memoir of all the things he now cannot do. Every walk to the store is a journey. We all have them. What is yours?"

"Do you have to know everything about me?" Six leaned a shoulder on the window, blotting their line-of-sight with the woman's headrest. "I'm nobody."

"I disagree." She pressed. Six's brow furrowed at her persistence, but he cleared it quickly enough with a sigh. He had more to worry about than this woman. "A man passed out on a deserted road in the middle of winter in one thing, when he carries nothing but a Pokémon egg? There is a story behind that, I assume?"

"I did something bad." He moved upright again, returning eye contact. His own icy eyes shimmered this time, boring into the driver's. "I did something really bad."

"I see." The woman surrendered and returned her gaze to the road ahead. She couldn't compete with that kind of stare.

"I'm much more interested in you." Six took the offensive. He leaned between the front seats with a meagre smirk and looked the woman up and down. A red coat, firstly. Underneath the definite contours of her physique were wrapped in tight navy-blue, clinging snugly to her skin from neck to waist. Then a crisp, similarly blue pair of cargo trousers dressed her to the foot. Red sneakers, laced with black and keeping with the colour scheme. "You're interesting. What's a Unovan doing in Sinnoh?" The woman's shoulders immediately hunched. Not significantly, but Six specifically noted how they huddled just a _little_ closer to her body in a moment of nervousness. Six smirked a bit wider at her reaction, and went on. "Unovan accents. You just can't quite cover them up. We all know Unova's bloody hot. Unovans don't come to Sinnoh in the middle of winter. And why would a foreigner be in Sinnoh in the middle of a civil war? That's curious…"

"We all have our reasons." She replied. Her voice came levelly… but not _quite._ Six noted a fraction of a shake on her first word, but she had quickly corrected herself. She was good.

"And your articulation is immaculate." He pressed. "Your "r"s don't roll onto the next word, you pronounce your "o"s carefully. Its excellent. Then there's your ranger outfit." He noted. "There is no ranger badge on it, but it's the uniform. I haven't seen a plain red jacket in months – it's all red and white trim now. That's the style these days."

"That's rather impolite of you." She retorted irritably. For such a seemingly collected woman, Six noticed she was becoming aggravated quickly. "Questioning me in my own car."

"I doubt it." He remarked, glancing at a red and blue backpack filled to bursting point and sitting on the passenger seat. "All your possessions are packed up in that bag. It's difficult to remove things from a packed bag like that. It would be easier to leave them on the back seat or in the boot – but you need to make a quick getaway if you need to, don't you? You don't feel comfortable leaving things around in this car. That's because it's not your car."

"Just who the hell are you?" She finally snapped and stared at him. Her composure broke away, and her flowing speech retreated to common tongue.

"I'm nobody." He smiled and sat back in his seat. Not an amused smirk as before, but rather a smile of satisfaction and victory.

"You sure know a lot about me for someone claiming to be "nobody"…" She returned to the road, but shakily.

Who was he? How much did he know? Did he know who she was? It all spun through the woman's head in a panicked blur. Her eyes nervously bounced from the road to the mirror as she felt a bead of sweat roll from her brow. She glanced down at her waist for a moment, re-checking for the bulge of a few pokéballs under her jacket, then looked back to the road with a relieved breath. Just in case…

"You're worried I've come to hurt you, huh?" Six sighed and glanced out a window. Still mountains. Still enclosed. Same scene. "I haven't. I have no idea who you are, and I don't care either way, as long as you keep driving."

"Very well…" The woman nodded distantly, but still watched him in her mirror. She had found him nearly dead just over an hour ago. No Pokémon, nothing dangerous, no communication devices. Just him, a backpack full of cash, and that egg… What reason should she have to be afraid?

"Why did you pick me up?"

"Pardon?" She glanced quickly over her shoulder.

Six sat forwards a bit. His hands rested idly in his lap and his legs were spread comfortably. No seat belt. The woman made a few observations of her own, judging his posture. "I said: Why did you pick me up? You're paranoid about something, but you're willing to pick up a random stranger off the road? Why?"

"Well, you weren't going to last very long out there in the cold, where you?" She waited with bated breath for his answer, as if it might reveal something of his intentions or origin or something vital.

"No." He said. "I guess not. Thanks."

He didn't believe it for a second.

"No problem." A wispy smile tugged at her lips. It seemed the person in her back seat might just be a normal person after all. A slightly odd normal person, maybe, but her paranoia gently rested itself again.

"Marcus." He said after a few minutes of staring at the scenery. "That's my name."

"Good to have a name to pin to your face." She replied. She dreaded the awkward silence that she knew would ensue if she didn't play the conversation through.

"You picked me up. I owe you that much." Six nodded, trying to remember the surname he had associated to "Marcus". His head stopped at the top of his nod. It froze spontaneously, and held perfectly still. His eyes eased shut and he turned his head a bit, scenting the air. "Fire…" He whispered.

"What fire?"

"There's a fire ahead." He leaned forwards as close to the front window as he could get, shoulders resting on either front seat. "Something burning. Just around the corner."

The woman flashed him a quick glance as she thought she saw something. His eyes… she could have sworn they flashed blue…

"Three dead men." His voice chilled the air, flowing in perfect flatness. "One dead Tangela. One dead Lucario. Four more pokéballs. All compromised – occupants still alive, but barely. No medical centre close enough to save them. They're as good as dead." He paused, evaluating briefly on his own. "Faster."

"What?" The woman's head shook dizzily, the flow of sudden information still registering with her. What the hell was he on about?

"Drive faster!" The woman slammed the accelerator without thinking, lurching ahead suddenly. "Two corners, then stop!" Six ordered as they slid around the next bend, losing a little traction as the tail swung outwards. She weaved inwards, towards the mountain wall, outwards, along the edge of the cliff… she slammed the brakes at the next one.

"Oh… god…"

"Open my door." Six quickly shuffled towards his door as the woman stared back at him.

"You can open it!" She called as she threw her own door open.

"No, I can't!" Six yelled back. The woman paused in mid-step for the wreckage, and spun around. "Open my door! Six's head banged on the window as he yelled. The woman dashed to the door and ripped it open.

Six leapt from the interior and shot from the vehicle with amazing speed. He leapt around the edge of the door, and charged for the upturned vehicle. He skidded to a halt beside the blown-off driver door, and knelt beside a charred pile.

"These guys passed me…" He shook his head slowly. The woman approached behind him, checking over his shoulder.

The upturned Humvee smoked and crackled as tongues of flame rose from the engine, consuming the entire front half of the vehicle in the blaze. The occupants lay scattered about the site, little more than charred, deformed piles of seared flesh.

The woman knelt beside another man, placing a finger on the black tendril trailing from his lifeless arm. "A weedsuit…" She shook her head slowly as she stood, stifling a tear. The Tangela's charred vines had crumbled onto the man wrapped in them, apparently so safe in his natural armour suit.

"The weedsuit caught." Six approached the woman from behind, he too observing the second thoughtfully. "The vines caught fire and cooked him alive. Never had a chance – he was tied up in it."

"Arceus…" The woman stood shakily. Her legs nearly gave out as she righted herself, but she caught herself in her stumble and righted her balance. "Something has to be done about this…" She sniffed and turned to Six. "To think, two months ago everybody was friendly."

"Don't remind me…" Six fell a little silent as his head hung. Two months of war. It hadn't even been that, and it had already escalated to such chaos… "Patriotism…" he whispered. "Can we be patriots in a war like this?"

The woman glanced over her shoulder at him. She blinked in confusion, and turned slowly to him. Something rubbed off on her. There was just something about the way he stood… the sheer withdrawal of his stance spoke to her somehow.

Spurred by an odd and sudden urge, she made a step toward him. She was unable to help herself. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and lowered her own head in unison. "It is confusing, isn't it?" She whispered. Her breath released wearily, merging with the frigid air and drifting away into space. "When being a patriot means killing your own countrymen… but sometimes it needs to be done. Otherwise, nothing is going to end." She looked up at him, mustering her confidence. "It seems it takes the blood of a million to wash away that which blinds us."

"It is a confusing feeling…" Six nodded. "I… I'm sorry. I don't feel too good right now…" He shied away from her hand and moved back towards the car.

He placed himself in the back seat and pulled the door shut, hooking his foot around the edge and closing it. The woman watched him curiously, still standing in the freezing wind. So far he had been alright. A little nosy, a little shady, but he seemed friendly enough for the moment.

She turned away from the car a little, making it seem she was glancing at the Humvee. She discretely slipped a hand into a pocket, and slid free a scrap of paper, folded countless times into a messy square. She unwrapped the folds quickly, placing herself between the paper and Six, obscuring his sight.

As far as wanted posters went, this was the least descriptive she had ever seen. The "name" section was empty, the "age" section was an approximation of about twenty, the height too was an approximation. The picture was blurred. One seemingly ordinary man in a crowd, circled in red marker. It was a bit blurred and the picture was from a bad angle, but it was him. It was definitely Marcus.

The only other piece of exact information on the page, was right up the top in huge numerals. "$142,333,333". "Reward" in smaller letters underneath. Beside this, a small symbol indicating the involvement of West Sinnoh military.

**One-hundred-and-forty million dollars…** She thought. She shook her head, and glanced over her shoulder. Six sat slumped in the back seat. His mouth moved silently, speaking to himself and staring at the seat in front of him. The woman turned her attention back to the paper. **This guy's worth one-hundred-and-forty million dollars? Why? What does he know?** She refolded the paper and slipped it into the same pocket. She then reached into her opposite pocket, and withdrew a second, smaller piece. She unfolded it to find herself facing a similar notice, but a slightly smaller reward and the symbol of the east Sinnoh military.

Both the country's military groups had huge bounties on Marcus… and she couldn't understand why.

She pocketed that note too and headed back to the vehicle. She hopped into the driver's seat and pulled her door shut gladly, shutting off the freezing chill of outside.

"Are you alright?" She asked over her seat.

Six's head hung and his fingers lay limp in his lap. They didn't even budge, as if they were paralyzed. "I'm fine." He sighed – moving on, and sat upright again. "Just a sensitive spot for me. I'm past it."

"Who are you, Marcus?" Six's head jerked up a bit as he heard his name.

"I'm nobody." He repeated uniformly. Same as he had previously.

"Of course you are somebody." The woman grunted. "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" Six rebutted. He leaned back in his seat and inclined his head. "I've given you a name, now you give me yours."

The woman's brow furrowed, but she nodded. "Elise." She answered finally.

"And you're somebody." Six added. "Me – I'm nobody. I don't exist."

"You are right in front of me." Elise directed him a stern glare. "I am quite sure that you exist."

"In political correctness – I don't." Six shook his head as he spoke. "But, in reality, yes. I do exist. I just don't have a name. I have no name, no family, I don't exist within society. I'm just… a body. A body without a name."

Elise started the ignition as she listened, throwing the can into gear with a slow nod. "So… what is your job then? I doubt you were simply given all of that money for nothing."

"I don't talk about my job." Six stared out the window as they rolled forwards– effectively ending the conversation with the following silence. His head jerked after a second as things registered with him. "You looked in my bag."

"I picked you up." Elise mentioned irritably, suddenly turned a bit by Six's sudden hostility. "Yes, I checked your baggage. I thought it would tell me who you were. I believe it is my right to know who I pick up from the side of a deserted road." She paused for a moment, smiling as she gained the upper hand. "I thought I could find a name. I didn't think I'd find this many." Her free hand appeared over her shoulder, holding a deck of passports two-inches thick.

"Your rights are nothing." Six snorted, but he still watched out the window as he continued. He scowled a little, staring at the passports out of the corner of his eyes and knowing he couldn't get them. So close, but so far. "The region has dissolved into chaos. Rights, laws, they're all worthless. Nobody cares about civvies – civvies live in anarchy for the moment."

"You don't have to get shitty with me." Elise muttered, seemingly to herself. So of course she was surprised when Six responded:

"You're a little bi-polar." He mentioned, making her jump. "In situations where you have the upper hand, you speak with few contractions and abbreviations. Likely how you were raised. When you feel threatened, you resort to common speech to repel the attacker, so to speak. Common speech is much sharper, and when you just burst out with it like that after being so high-strung, it causes a lot of shock, which you use to your advantage."

An awkward silence ensued after Six stopped. He turned his eyes off the scenery and to the mirror, confronting Elise and almost daring her to reply. A ghost of a smile highlighted his pale face, barely breaking his lips.

"It's an effective tool." She didn't argue. Whoever Marcus – or Mark, or Terrance, or whatever his name was – he picked up on things quickly. "How do you know that?"

"I see things. I hear things." He shrugged complacently. "I'm very good at seeing and hearing things."

"I can see that."

"So who are you running from?" Six leaned forwards again. Elise noticed he didn't wear a seatbelt still.

"I'm not running from anyone." She shrugged.

"You used a contraction." Six mentioned. Elise swore inwardly. "You're defensive. Who are you running from?"

"I'm entitled to my own secrets. Just as you are."

"Fair enough." Six sat back in his seat. "Where are you going?"

"I haven't made my mind yet." She sighed and glanced down at the staring wheel briefly, using the blank centre to focus on for a moment.

"Unova's keeping out of this war." Six continued still, for whatever reason still insistent on talking. "They won't come anywhere near Sinnoh for the moment, so you're probably safe anywhere about."

"Safe?" Elise smirked a little. "Tell me – what part of driving along a cliffside road at six PM is safe? Especially when that road runs the border of two warring factions? Two warring factions who constantly flaunt this border launching hit-and-run attacks on the other's territory?"

Six shucked a bit at this, and nodded. "Hey – if you put it that way, nowhere's safe."

"Right." Elise nodded in return, keeping the conversation flowing. "There are all kinds of tiny wars to be found. Everywhere there's a war of some magnitude. One party who wants one, another party who wants another."

"So I guess you're open to any suggestions of direction?" Six went on hopefully.

"I suppose." Elise shrugged. "So, Jubilife, was it?"

"Jubilife." Six nodded. "Well – for the moment, any location will do, as long as it isn't the way I came."

"You are running from your own past, I see?"

"Yeah. " Six glanced out the window behind him. "Running from my past. Not sure if I should still be running… it's a difficult decision, but I'll keep running until I'm caught. Then I'll welcome whatever may come."

"What kind of past is this?" Elise pushed a little further, hoping for something interesting. Something to explain all her questions. "What are you running from?"

"An assassin." Elise's blood froze on Six's last syllable. "Is that enough motivation to keep you driving?"

"You're being hunted, huh?" She managed to keep her voice level through tremendous effort.

"Yeah. An assassin. A professional tracker and sniper."

"Whoa… that's rough." The car hummed quietly with the whirring of tyres on tarmac. Their silence dragged longer than their previous silences. Elise was beginning to think this wasn't her smartest move… picking up a random stranger she knew was dangerous.

"It isn't an easy life." Six yawned, and fell across his seat. "Hey – I'm going to have a quick one. Promise you won't assassinate me while I sleep?"

"I'm sorry?" Elise smirked a fraction.

"Just don't kill me, okay?" Six yawned again, and rested his head on the seat. "Only just survived freezing, I'd like at least a day to live before I die..."

A quiet man stood back, arms crossed and observing his Pokémon. A Mightyena sniffed along the ground, pacing after an invisible trail and towards the smoking Humvee. Its nose flared a little and it swung right a bit, trailing towards a charred corpse next to the vehicle. He recoiled a little from the body, letting a short growl slip between his teeth.

"Might!" He barked over his shoulder at the man. "Mightyena!"

"Good boy…" The man strode forwards. His smirk was hidden from sight; covered by a skull-pattern bandana making his lower face. The faint gleam of fire caught in his dark shades as he bent to one knee and inspected the body too. "I found you…" He glanced up, and toward the south. "Found yourself a ride, huh? That's no problem…" He stood and strode back towards his own vehicle. A silver-painted custom chopper leaned against the guard rail. A writhing mass of Ekanses and Arboks decorated the fuel tank, with their tails entwining and flowing toward the exhaust.

He returned his Pokémon and swung a leg over the seat, saddling it and taking the handlebars. "You don't escape a snake…" He grinned sardonically and gunned the engine, firing the exhausts as he leaned back. He slammed the chopper into gear and surged forwards, drifting to the centre line of the road, and quickly disappearing around the next bend.

*1 hour, thirty-five minutes later*

Elise glanced over her shoulder one last time as she rolled slowly towards the driveway ahead. Six's head rested against the right rear window, and his eyes were shut. As far as she could tell, he was asleep. There was something unidentifiable about him… something which captured her fascination like nothing before.

His haircut was odd, to begin with. A glossy hazel colour, shining a little more than most men's hair would. It was a little on the long side for a man, except the fringe; trimmed back a bit and away from his eyes. His piercing, silver eyes…

His entire image said "vague". Save his eyes, everything was plain on the outside, yet judging by what Elise had seen, there was something significantly wrong on the inside. Either that, or something significantly _right_ – depending on how she looked at the matter.

She eased the car up the gentle slope into a car park, and brought it around into an empty park on the right. At the end of the park, a log building abruptly rose from the mountainside. A huge log cabin, built two stories high onto the side of the levelling mountain range. The windows glowed warmly, cutting a square of light through the icy night air.

"Hey, Marcus." She decided upon calling him Marcus – being the first name she gave him.

"Yes?" Elise stifled her instinctive cringe urge. Seemed Marcus wasn't as asleep as she had thought.

"There's a lodge." She nodded to the building ahead. "I figured we could rent a couple of rooms?"

""We"?" Six sat upright.

"Well, you're in my car." Elise defended effortlessly. Her eyelids grew heavy and her limbs hung desperately for the ground – thus prompting her decision to find a place to sleep. "Look – we're both running from something. Maybe it's better if we stick together?"

Six's response was immediate. "I don't trust you." He said simply. "But – you have a car. I need transport, so I suppose I have no choice."

"All right." Elise kicked open her door.

"Get mine, can you?" Six yawned and shuffled to his door.

"I'm sorry?" Elise shut her door and raised him a curious glance. "Are your arms broken?"

"Yes, my arms are broken." Six snapped sarcastically. "Just open my damn door, can you?" Elise stared at him still. He jerked his head toward the door sharply, putting an arm through his backpack straps.

"All right." She pulled open his door reluctantly. Six swung his legs out of the vehicle and leapt out quickly. He staggered away from the door as he stretched his back, bending back with a long yawn. He hooked his foot around the door and pulled it shut.

Elise locked the door after him, and began towards the lodge as she searched about the landscape. Trees dotting the approach to the steeper stretch of the mountainside, snow blanketing their feet and most of the sparsely populated carpark, the road too sprinkled with a fine dusting.

A wave of heat swept across both as the door swung open. The light erupted from the small square in the doorway, re-emerging as a brightly lit lounge and reception on the inside. The crowd immediately turned to them. A group of half-a-dozen humans, accompanied by a Pokémon or two each.

At a counter on the left, a disgruntled man gave a brief grunt, and leaned towards the newcomers over the surface. "Where you coming from?" His patrons all eyed Six and Elise, whispering urgently between themselves.

"Snowpoint." Six said before Elise got a word in. "I'm Marcus." He placed an arm around Elise's shoulders. Her eyes nearly flew wide open in shock as he leaned across and pecked her on the cheek, but she kept her cool and played along. She giggled a little and pushed him playfully.

"Stop it Mark…" She glanced down shyly. "Not in front of them…"

"This is Elise." He smirked and nodded to the man at the counter. "We're just looking for a place to stay. We have money…"

"Forget the money." The man's face rose a little, nearly forming a smile under his bushy moustache. He invited the two over as the crowd eased again, sharing relieved sighs and mutters as they returned to their seats around a roaring fireplace in the centre of the lounge.

Six approached the counter with Elise in tow, meeting the man. The man sighed and glanced at the group as their chat began again. "Money's losing value, these days." He muttered. "This is war, my friend. I don't want to make money – I just want to keep as many of us alive as I can." He turned to Six and nodded. "You're welcome to stay as long as you want. No charge. I extend the same offer these days, as long as you're willing to help out around the place a little. Chop some wood when we need some, help cook occasionally, so on."

"That's kind of you." Six smiled warmly and nodded in return. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"No problem." The man reached a hand under the counter and removed a key, dropping it on the surface. "Room 13. Put your stuff away and head on back down to the fire. We've got showers, electricity – a nice setup. Make yourselves at home."

"Thanks." Six headed towards a staircase immediately to his right. Elise scooped up the keys and sprung into line beside him, still playing her part perfectly and dropping her head on his shoulder. "You're very good at this." He commented quietly as they began up the steps.

"I've had practise." Elise removed her head and put a little distance between them. "Though – you do realise we have to share the same room now?"

"I know that." Six found room 13, and Elise put the key into the lock. "But that doesn't concern me. You need me for something, so you aren't going to try and kill me anytime soon."

"I don't need you for anything." Elise chuckled as she followed him in.

"Contractions, again. You're defensive." Six reminded her.

"Damn it…" Elise cursed at herself as her smile dropped.

Six unslung his bag and dropped it beside a couch. He stretched again and rolled his shoulders, now free of his weight. "That guy said there's a shower, didn't he? I'm going under."

"Alright." Elise laid her own bag beside the double bed and sat on the edge. Six headed for another door at the side of the room, taking a towel from the end of the bed as he went.

"By the way…" Six stopped and turned around, catching Elise's attention. He slid the keys from his pocket and tossed them onto the bed beside Elise. "Lock the door. Don't let anyone in, okay?"

"Okay." Elise nodded. She watched Six close the doorway and disappear from view.

She sighed and lay down on the bed. The front folds of her coat fell around her waist, leaving her blue-clad torso revealed as she shut her eyes and relaxed.

"You are one curious man, Mr Marcus." She sighed as she settled into the mattress and blankets. She thrust one hand into her pocket and withdrew the folded paper. She didn't unfold it, but she simply stared up at it for a moment in thought.

It didn't sit well with her. It didn't sit well at all. First the backpack full of money. Where did a guy get that much cash from? Secondly, his passports. Having a few fake passports was something she was familiar with, but "Marcus" had dozens of the things. Then the poster, third. Even the Sinnoh military had nothing on the guy, save a blurry photo. Then the whole "assassin" thing was the icing on the cake. He had mentioned specifically an "assassin". Not a bounty hunter – an assassin.

But she needed him. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something about him she knew would help her. He seemed like that kind of person who could get things done. Her biggest obstacle, however, was his mistrust. She had to gain his trust.

He already had a heap of money, so there was no use in buying him. He seemed like the kind of person not to be threatened easily. Elise doubted that would be a good idea. That left a select few options.

She glanced at the door with a thoughtful murmur. He looked young. Young men were easy to manipulate normally, but she figured he was the headstrong type, so sexual favours likely wouldn't get her far. She didn't rule the option out though – there was a chance for success.

Money. Threats. Sex. She was running out of leverage quickly. She knew she wouldn't make it far on her own… she had to think of something.

A sharp knock on the door derailed her train of thought. She whispered thankfully for the distraction, and went for the door without thinking.

Not smart.

Not smart at all.

Ice and ice met. Each pit as intense as the other, hell-bent on outmatching the other. Silver iris, silver iris. Black pupil, black pupil. Six's reflection upheld his stare evenly, gazing back into his eyes.

Behind him, the floor of the shower was still dry. The flooring tiles shone in a dim overhead light, revealing no distortion by water droplets clinging to them.

His jacket still draped his shoulders, still zipped up. He hadn't removed it. He hadn't removed anything. He hadn't even touched the shower. He had simply walked into the bathroom, placed himself in front of the mirror, and stared for a couple of minutes.

"What am I going to do?" He asked helplessly. His reflection shrugged similarly, disclosing nothing of assistance. "I fucked up…" He sighed and stood upright again. His head hung and his cold lips continued whispering. "_I fucked up…_"

He turned halfway towards the exit door and stared. Elise, so she had identified herself. Likely not her real name. She most likely had as many passports as he did. A Unovan running from something… it was a curious story, if it was true. She clearly wanted something from him.

He made a reluctant start for the doorway, breaking his trance of melancholy. He would go downstairs. Find somebody to talk to. Have a lighter conversation. Speak about something trivial. Laugh a little. That always got his spirits up.

The edge of the doorway slid to the limit of his periphery as it swung open, and immediately something was wrong.

His mind flashed into action as soon as Elise appeared to his eyes. Bound, gagged and propped against the headrest of the bed…

The Lucario stopped immediately. She glanced up. A gold earring in one ear jingled ominously in the blustering gale, whistling through the night sky.

Her eyes grew open, red irises flashing blue for a moment. A spike of aura jumped, sparking to life throughout her body before falling quickly. It was him…

"_SIX!"_ She exploded forwards with a roar, rushing with renewed speed and fury. _"YOU DIE NOW!"_

Six leapt backwards just in time. A purple blur flashed past in front of him, right where his face had been a moment before. The blur froze in mid-movement when it reached full stretch. A slimy purple tentacle, it seemed, striped with one yellow band partway along.

The purple thing recoiled back quickly, shooting back to its origin as another blur. Six leapt through the doorway as it returned, and spun to the attacker.

"Who do we have here?" The man's shades gleamed, as if capturing a glimmer of his mirth. The sleeves of his overcoat rose from elbow to wrist, and an Ekans sprouted from each sleeve of his long overcoat. The Pokémon hovered above his hands, and hissed in unison, baring their venomous fangs and glaring through vicious gold eyes.

"What do we have here?" Six's stance eased up, and he stood a little taller. "A snake, huh? Didn't expect this."

The man chuckled a little, but remained on his spot. He was in no rush. "The snake is never expected."

The left Ekans darted for Six. It wrapped the end of its tail around the man's wrist and lunged, drawing its mouth open for the strike. Six crossed his arms and made a short step back. Elise released a muffled scream of horror as Six's step landed too short, and the Pokémon bit.

The tainted pearl fangs clashed shut on air, barely missing Six's throat. The Snake whipped his arm back with a grunt, retracting his Pokémon. "A close call." He observed.

"A precise dodge." Six corrected him. "I've killed a lot of you before. You really should leave right now."

The snake shook his head slowly, but kept at bay, intent on letting their little word game linger. "I've killed a lot of you before, also."

"Touché." Six smirked a little. "We are at odds then?"

"It would seem." The snake chuckled.

Six chuckled in return. Counter-assassination was always fun. Others were always cocky, always confident. Always cool and composed. It was fun to break that confidence and slaughter them. "Then let us see who fate favours."

Another two lunges exploded from the snake's hands. Six sidestepped both with sharp dexterity, still with his arms crossed mockingly. The snake leapt forwards and took the attack, whipping with both Ekanses again. Six moved forwards quickly, diving right between the attacks, and kicked out. His attack struck the snake in the gut, and before the Ekanses could hit him on the return, Six had dived aside into a roll.

"I'm better than I look." Six advised as the Snake regained himself.

"You are." The Snake smirked painfully, clutching his stomach. That's the last time I underestimate you."

The snake lashed out with another barrage of whips, this time swinging wide and one-by-one to restrict Six's opening. This time, Six kept on the defensive. He dashed and ducked and dived around every attack as if he already knew where each was going to land. He sidestepped out of corners as the snake pushed him back, giving himself room to move. The whole while, Elise stared in fear and awe at the situation. She had never seen anything move like Six did, human _or_ Pokémon. No attack even made contact – he was like a ghost, weaving between every strike without worry. In fact, he managed to uphold a smile throughout the entire fight. An invincible, cocky smile.

The snake threw one arm sideways, launching one of his pets to the floor as he dived forwards, himself. The free snake quickly slithered around the side of Six, and lunged as the snake attacked from the front.

Six lifted one arm and leapt into the Snake's attack, dodging the feint attack in the process. He twirled around the whipping snake with millimetres to spare, and lashed out with a vicious kick. The snake sidestepped this time, and leapt aside as he retreated to range.

"You're very good." The snake panted and nodded, crouched low and holding his stomach as the pain from the first blow flared up again.

"Well, I hate to be the dick in the middle of battle, but you're rather poor." The snake's hidden grin soured as Six's rose further. "You're the second weakest snake I've ever had the displeasure of fighting."

"You'll regret saying that…" The snake hissed and removed a pokéball from his belt. He tossed it aside with a growl.

"MIGHT!" The Pokémon howled as it was freed, bursting into the room in a red flash.

Six's smile fell now. It was serious now. "That's rather unsporting of you. Three on one."

"I never claimed to be sporting."

"Indeed." Six kicked one foot. The kick didn't even make contact – they were at a solid five metres distance – but the man seemed to feel it. His face went pale quickly, and he coughed.

Two droplets of blood seeped to the floor from his throat, splattering on the pure white carpet. This was quickly succeeded by a small trickle more as more leaked from the wound.

The man's Pokémon all stopped and stared as they realised what had happened. They only watched helplessly as their master collapsed to the floor with a splutter, and fell limp on contact.

The end of a ballistic knife protruded from a deep gash in his throat, already bloodied by the draining life.

Six took advantage of their shock, and kicked again. A second ballistic knife exploded from the tip of his other boot, cutting the air with a sharp hum. The Mightyena's head jerked sideways with a howl as the second blade struck it. It flicked its mane with a pained roar and swatted the knife away with a paw. Only stuck in a centimetre through the Pokémon's firm cheek, it dislodged easily. Knives weren't designed to penetrate a Pokémon's skin.

"Mightyena!" The dog Pokémon howled again, eyes flooding with rage, and lunged. At its sides, the Ekanses too sprung for Six, fuelled by rage and hatred for the killer of their master.

Elise screamed through her gag, and clenched her eyes shut.

Six sighed as they leapt, and hung his head calmly. He whispered a goodbye.

"_Thuck –"_

Elise held her teary eyes shut as she trembled. The fear of the unknown – the fear of three frenzied Pokémon – the fear immobilized her.

She remained still for a moment longer, still shaking wildly. Nothing was happening. No cries of rage. No cries of pain. No touch of any kind. What was going on?

"You can open your eyes now."

Elise's eyes burst open at the sound of Six's voice. He stood in the exact same place as he had been before she shut her eyes. His arms still crossed. The same.

At his feet, three dead Pokémon lay perfectly still. Blood oozed from each's head, pooling and staining the carpet beneath. No evidence of anything that killed them. No weapon in sight. Just Six, and three dead Pokémon.

He strode to Elise's side and knelt beside her. He frowned momentarily, and stood again.

"Well… this is awkward…" He smiled sheepishly. "But… I can't untie you."

**WHAT?** Elise's eyes flew wide again, and she immediately bucked against her restraints.

"Hey, hey, hold on." Six shook his head. "I'd let you out if I could… but I can't…"

"Mmm mm mml mmnt?" **Why the hell not?**

"Well… because…" Six's grin widened a little further, becoming truly nervous now. "You may not have noticed… but I can't move my hands."

Elise's struggling ceased immediately. "Mm MMMM?" **You WHAT?**

Six lifted one arm from his side to demonstrate. At the end of his arm, his hand hung limply on his wrist. His fingers appeared pale and gaunt. Lifeless. They didn't even twitch. "My arms don't move from the elbow down. I can't grab things. Pick things up. I can't even open doors, or put on clothing by myself." He explained. "I can move my arm at my shoulder, and at my elbow, but that's it. no twisting, no wrist or finger movement. That's why I can't untie you. I can't actually grab the rope to untie you."

**Oh, my, god!** Elise banged her head against the headrest behind her. **What am I going to do now?**

"_YOU!"_ She jerked upright. Six leapt a bit at the voice, and they both spun to the door.

He gulped, and backed away. "Shit…"

It was the biggest Lucario Elise had ever seen. It was huge – as tall as she was, nearly six-feet. Gold streaks ran through its fur down its arms, and red streaks beside those, and more. Its entire body was a collage of red and gold streaks all over its blue, black and yellow fur.

Over this, a pair of plain black slacks and a metal breastplate.

The Lucario leapt at him off her back foot. She sped across the room and nearly tackled him – but instead her paw wrapped around his throat and hoisted him off the ground, and shoved him into the wall.

"_YOU BASTARD!"_ She shouted in both her own tongue and through telepathy.

Six sighed and let his head hang. He ignored the paw choking him slowly, and muttered something. He finally looked up, and sighed again. "Hey Nova."

""_Hey Nova"? That's it? Just "Hey Nova"? WHAT THE FUCK?"_

Six glanced sideways at Elise. "Elise… do you remember when I said there was an assassin hunting me down?" Elise stared blankly, desperately trying to piece the situation together. She nodded slowly.

"Well this is her."

And so concludes part one.

SO MANY QUESTIONS!

WHO is Six?

WHAT is the "bad thing" he has done?

WHO is Elise?

WHO is she running from?

WHO is the Lucario?

And finally –

WHAT is in Six's egg?

I'm taking input from Drakenguard42 on this. I'm making him my plot-buddy! Yay for teamwork! Coz plot is what he does best.

Thanks for reading. ^^

Next up: Assassins, awkward moments, confusion and weedsuits. Deception, betrayal and Lucarios who just can't keep their sexy blue asses to themselves…


	2. Welcome 2 the border

I DON'T own Pokémon. I DO own Lethal Vector. I DO own my characters (unless Drakenguard throws some in (which I hope he will)). I DO own an Xbox 360… just to put that pointless fact out there.

"_Telepathy." (or just emphasis)_

**Characters thinking**

_**SUPA-EMPHASIS! See how cool it looks?**_

THE SHOW GOES ON! –

[/ LETHAL VECTOR \\\\\\\\\\]

[2: Welcome 2 the border]

Six glanced sideways at Elise. "Elise… do you remember when I said there was an assassin hunting me down?" Elise stared blankly, desperately trying to piece the situation together. She nodded slowly.

"Well this is her."

"_You ass."_ The Lucario dropped him with a growl – immediately spinning around and pacing away. She stopped in the centre of the room with a louder growl between her teeth and clenching her fists tightly. _"You told her I was an assassin? Why –" _She raised a paw in his direction, silencing him before he spoke as she clenched her eyes in frustration. _"Just… wha –… uurgh!" _She spun and stormed towards him again, eyes alight with rage and flickering as her uncontained aura caught them.

Six remained lifeless the entire while, even when the Lucario threw him back into the wall behind him with another growl.

"_What in the world were you thinking?"_ She pinned him against the wall by his shoulders, tightly gripping them.

Elise wasn't sure – it was difficult to tell from her angle – but the Lucario almost seemed to be on the verge of bursting into tears.

"Nova…" Six raised a limp hand and placed in on her shoulder. "Easy, girl."

"_What are you trying to do?"_ She shook her head wildly as further tears sprang into the corners of her eyes – yet they clung there, and refrained from falling. _"You just… you left me! How could you just leave me there? After everything we've been through! And you just –"_

Six leaned forwards and cut her off. He forced his lips against hers in a spontaneous movement, catching her of guard. The Lucario froze up on contact, falling silent in surprise as she was kissed. She quickly regained her wits and pushed him away with a growl. He wasn't getting off that easily.

"_Don't think you can just squirm out of this!" _She pressed him harder into the wall behind him, holding his shoulders tighter. _"You're not just –"_

He kissed her again. Again – Nova's tongue recoiled as their lips met. Her telepathy faded, blanking instantly.

She was angry. She was furious. She felt her head spin in a dizzy spell of rage. She was mad. She was outraged. But above all of this – she was afraid. As strongly as her brain raged on, willing her tongue to slip loose, an inner part of her just wanted to shut up, and just fall into Six and cry.

"_You can't just do that…"_ She snivelled as he drew back. Her grip on his shoulders eased as her arms trembled, and her pressure forcing him into the wall relaxed. _"You can't just –"_

He kissed her again. Right on the lips again, shutting her words off.

Nova's paw reluctantly separated them, pushing Six away. _"You have – "_

He didn't let up. He kissed her again. Nova's paw made a half-hearted move toward him, but it fell weakly on his collarbone. She lacked the will to push him away. She didn't want him to stop. She melted into him with a sob, nearly collapsing as her legs turned to jelly.

When he withdrew, Nova's head fell. Tears dripped from her eyes and ran down her muzzle, each succeeded by a short sniffle. Her rage faded back, and her hurt occupied the void. _"Why did you leave me?"_

She looked up with a teary blink. Her ruby eyes quivered helplessly. Brought to her knees by simple fear. She couldn't even move now. She couldn't urge her body to even budge.

Six moved closer and lowered his head to her shoulder. She responded by quickly throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly, burying her face against his stomach.

"I'm sorry…" He said simply. His own arms hung lifelessly at his sides, wrapped by the Lucario's as she held him for dear life. "I thought it would be best for you… I was wrong…"

"_You have to stop doing this…"_ Nova gripped the back of his coat as her body tensed all over, clinging to Six. _"Please stop leaving me…"_

"I said this was the final test." He whispered back. "I meant it. I'm finished. I know Arceus wants me. I'm sure now. I don't have to leave you."

Nova sniffed again, and looked up finally. Behind her tears, her eyes shone with pure joy. Blissful relief. _"Thank you."_

Six smiled a little. Her smile warmed him. He leaned forwards a little, and touched his nose against her snout. The familiar sensation of her cool, wet nose sent a shiver down his spine. The shiver urged his heart forwards before his brain could say otherwise. "I missed you."

"_I missed you."_ Nova hugged him again, briefly. _"Promise you won't go?"_

"I promise." Six nodded.

"Mmmph mmph?" Both turned their heads to Elise. She had shuffled towards the edge of the bed while they spoke, and was now sitting on the edge with a mix of confusion and frustration painting her face.

"Oh, right." Six stepped out of Nova's grip. She reluctantly let her arms fall away, and followed him to the bed. "This is Elise."

"_Nice name."_ Nova commented, wiping her eyes. She knelt in front of Elise with a murmur as she observed her. Her composure had lifted surprisingly quickly. A moment ago she was broken and furious, and suddenly she had an unmistakeable professionalism to every movement. _"Where did you find her, Six?"_

"She was the one who picked me up after I passed out." Six recalled. "Don't suppose you could cut her free?"

"_No problem_." Nova slipped onto the bed beside Elise, and shuffled around to place herself behind her. _"Stay still and I'll cut the ropes."_ She held one paw to the side, and flicked it. A single, silver claw slid soundlessly from one digit on her command. The ceiling light ran a glary shine across the surface, like a sheet of metal.

Nova hooked the claw between the binds, careful of Elise's hands, and sliced through them with a clean upward cut. Elise's freed hands immediately jerked for her mouth to remove the gag.

Nova's paws appeared over her shoulders in a flash, suddenly gripping her wrists tightly. Nova's head followed, appearing over her right shoulder. Her breaths were short and hot on Elise's ear, and she felt the Lucario's chest rise against her back.

Nova's eyes glinted dangerously, and her blank expressions stared straight ahead, holding a fraction of a snarl and a bared fang. _"No sudden movements."_ Nova's telepathic voice, previously so shaky and unsteady, was as cold as ice. It gripped Elise unpleasantly with a darker tone, warning her. _"Slow movements. Touch your pockets and I'll take you out right now. No funny business."_

"Mm-mm." Elise gulped, and nodded slowly. Her hands immediately fell into a fit of shaking as Nova's paws released her, unsettled by the warning. As slowly as she could, she carefully brought her hands up towards her mouth.

"_Oh, screw it."_ She froze as Nova sighed, and disappeared from view. Then –

"AAAAAGH!" Elise leapt off the bed as the tape was ripped away from her lips. She immediately spun around and covered her face, stifling a curse at the lingering pain. Nova tossed the tape aside without a second thought, and proceeded to make herself comfortable on the bed.

"_Oh, don't be a baby."_ She snorted.She wormed her way up the bed until her head rested on the pillow at the top, and she splayed herself lazily across the covers. She left an eyes open as she scanned the room quickly, murring. _"So… base camp for the night, huh?"_ She sat up and bounced her paws on the bed, testing the springs beneath. After a moment of testing, and a satisfied nod, she lay down again. _"Sweet. I hoped for a nice place to catch up."_ She winked on her last word.

"We haven't been apart very long. What could we possibly have to catch up on?" Six's tone exuded innocence, though he knew fully well what Nova was talking about. An inside smirk recognised her offer.

"_You know damn well what we have to catch up on."_ Nova chuckled, and rolled onto her stomach, lifting her rump a little. She glanced over her shoulder with a playful wag of her tail, emerging through a small hole in the back of her denim shorts.

Her eyes flickered an intense, burning orange, melting into Six's as he stared. Recognising her trance had taken effect, Nova batted her eyelashes once, slowly and smoothly; shutting her eyes away. Whatever she did, she did it right. Six's mind numbed a little as the moment dragged on, and her eyes held shut. It was only a second of real time, but it seemed to be forever in his eyes. Her gorgeous irises flashed away into hiding, smothered by soft blue veils, and he his mind was instantly overwhelmed by his desire to see them again. She knew her stuff.

Six's paused breath released again as her eyelids retreated, revealing her glistening irises again as a sultry murr escaped her lips. She poked her tongue between her lips and licked across them, rocking her hips suggestively. _"You know damn well what I want."_

"Would somebody be kind enough to explain this situation to me?" Both were jerked from their moment as Elise spoke up. She blushed faintly, hiding her hands behind her back. Nova directed her a nasty stare for interrupting their moment, but Six didn't appear too fazed.

"We're friends." Six shrugged.

"_With benefits…"_ Nova giggled a little.

"You said there was an assassin trying to kill you…" Elise glanced between the two with a puzzled stare. "I am not familiar with assassin methods, myself, but I am _quite_ sure they do not do it like that…"

"I didn't say that." Six sat on the edge of the bed. Nova quickly twisted around and joined him, sitting alongside at a very friendly distance, close by his side. "I said I was running from an assassin. I didn't say she was trying to kill me." He flashed a smile to Nova, and licked her cheek. She murred, and pushed him playfully. "She wouldn't lay a finger on me, outside of her kill-mode."

"_Nuh-uh."_ Nova confirmed, shaking her head quickly. Six leaned across and momentarily licked her cheek again, provoking another giggle.

"She's just a big cuddly ball of fun." He laughed as she finally pushed him away, unable to handle his tongue's assault. Six's expression suddenly took a serious turn. "Well, until she goes into kill-mode. Then she's a vicious, psychopathic killing machine with no room for remorse and no capacity for mercy."

Nova's face fell into a scowl quickly. _"That's bullshit."_ She slapped him lightly on the head.

"Is it?" Six's eyes pointed briefly to the three dead Pokémon.

Nova frowned a little as she followed his eyes. _"Okay… there's __some__ truth in that…"_ She murred thoughtfully as she continued to stare at them. She hadn't seen a snake in a while, and the times she had seen them, it was her and Six going for _them_, not them coming for _Six_…

"It's weird, huh?" As they registered their thoughts with one another, Six nodded and slid off the bed. He walked to the human and crouched alongside. Nova quickly joined him at his side, and rolled the man onto his back.

The knife end still stuck from his neck, piercing his skull bandana and pinning the bottom to his neck. The material had darkened and taken a red hue where his blood had leaked.

As Six looked over the man's lifeless face, Nova proceeded to rifle through his pockets. She turned each inside-out ceremonially, starting at the top and working down. She felt about each one as she out-turned them, checking for hidden pockets and stitched-in pockets which had been closed up, as snakes were known to make.

"_Ah…"_ She smiled a little as she felt a stiffer patch of material. She poked it a little, listening carefully for the crackle of bending cardboard or paper.

Her ear twitched at the faintest sound. She sat up and nodded to Six. She unsheathed a claw on her right paw, and dug it into the fabric around the stiffer area. Holding the coat with her free paw, she cut a small hole through the coat with her claw, tearing through the thick material. She hid her claw once she had finished, and reached into the hole.

"_What's this?"_ She drew it out. A photograph. Six shuffled around and leaned over her shoulder.

"What is it?" Elise asked. She still sat on the bed, leaning left and right to try and see over either's shoulder. She quietly lifted herself up, easing her frame off the bed without a sound.

Her legs buckled as Nova spun and glared at her, and she fell back. Nova stood quickly with a growl and balled her fists, making a maddened step for Elise.

"Stop." She halted with a confused grunt as Six briefly kissed her waist. Still kneeling, he kissed her Just above the waistband of her shorts.

"_But –"_

"We don't know what this means." Six stood up, and held his hand out. Nova grumbled briefly at Elise, but she picked up the photograph and jammed it into Six's palm so it balanced there. He began slowly towards Elise, staring at the photo in his hand the whole time. He stopped just in front of her, and dropped the photo on her lap. "Care to explain this?"

Elise gasped and recoiled a bit. It was her.

Taken from a distance from an elevated angle, the camera had zoomed in on her. Amongst the crowd streaming about her –blanketing most of the pearly white tiled floor of what seemed to be an airport – she was barely noticeable, save her jade hair standing out in the sea of brown, black and blonde. She held a strap of her backpack in one hand, glancing warily over her shoulder with the look of a spooked Deerling. Her clothing was the same. Same unmarked ranger outfit and same khaki backpack, although slightly less bulging than it was now.

"Well?" Six's voice snapped her from the photo. "Any ideas?"

"He had this on him?" Elise's lips cracked, suddenly dry.

"_He did."_ Nova appeared beside Six with her arms crossed tightly and glowering. _"Why?"_

"I don't know!" Elise shuffled away quickly, backing up along the bed as her heart raced. Nova's growl heightened a little, and she made a start forwards.

"Nova!" Nova cringed as Six nudged her roughly. "No!"

"_But –"_ She protested, but Six cut her off.

"SIT!"

Nova whimpered a little and backed away a bit. She averted her eyes down, and obediently sat. She turned away a bit and hugged her knees close to her, cursing at herself for her audacity.

Six watched her do so, and sighed a little. He knew he should have been a little easier on Nova – having been separated for so long – but she knew better. He buried his guilt for the moment – knowing he would make up for it tonight – and sat on the edge of the bed. "She's a bit presumptuous sometimes. Don't mind her. She'll warm up to you."

"They know where I am…" Elise's eyes trembled as they held on the photo. She couldn't remove her eyes from the thing. It was her. It was undeniably her. They knew where she was.

"Who knows?" Six's arm wrapped around Elise's shoulders. They sat on the edge of the bed for a minute, both staring at the picture thinking very different thoughts.

"There are some people." Elise whispered dryly. She gulped and continued quietly. "They're trying to take me back to Unova."

"Why?"

"Luck of the draw." Elise dropped the photo. It twisted and flipped as it tumbled to the floor, fluttering, and settled between her feet, face-up. She stared between her feet at it, shivering. "Family and relations… their baggage was sort of passed on to me…"

"I see…" Six nodded slowly. After a moment of silence, he fell back on the bed with a sigh. "I never had much say in my life." He said after a moment. "I was taken from birth. Never given a choice, just thrust into action from a young age."

Elise glanced at Six under her brow as tears still trembled at the corners of her eyes. He seemed a little different for the moment. Laying back sort of lazily, arms splayed, reminiscing… something more human emerged in him. He gained colour, so to speak. The vague silhouette she had been conveying for the last few hours had a little life to him.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You played no part in my life." Six watched as the roof above him shimmered, in his eyes. It twisted and turned, blending pale creams into a messy, churning whirlpool of colours. It rolled and swirled for a moment, then the colours slowed, and settled.

_It was him. A four-year old boy. His hair hazel and eyes sparkling green. His laugh was a fresh melody, chirping with the bird Pokémon of the forest._

_He gripped the Lucario's ears tightly, tiny legs wrapped around her neck and holding her tight. She smiled as she strode through the forest with the grace of a queen, flowing and smooth steps as she navigated the familiar terrain. Her oversized camouflage slacks rubbed softly against dewy blades of grass climbing from the forest floor._

A trace smile graced his face. "It seemed so innocent at first…" He continued softly as the memory played out. "I ate lollies, played all day, stayed up as long as I wanted. For the first few years, it was great…" He glanced down, licking his drying lips. His passing tongue wiped the smile away and rendered his face expressionless. "Then they took me to base… everything changed. I learned what was really happening…"

"What happened?" Elise's finger brushed faintly on Six's jeans as it rested between them on the bed. She willed herself to look up, and look into his eyes. "What happened?"

Six shook his head, ruffling the blanket slightly with his head movements. "Not today." He sat upright again and stretched out, yawning. Elise shuffled away, giving him a little space as he stood. "I've told you all I can allow, for the moment. Perhaps if I trusted you, I would tell you the story."

He approached Nova from behind, very quietly. "Nova."

Nova didn't jump, as Elise had expected. She lifted her head a little at Six's voice, and looked over her shoulder. Six offered her a limp hand. Nova smiled a little, setting her tail wagging, and took his hand and stood. They stood apart for a moment as Nova reached her feet, holding hands, and spontaneously embraced. Their arms wrapped around one-another, and they buried their heads against one another again.

"I'm sorry." Six whispered. "Never again… I'm never going to do that to you again."

"_I know…"_ Nova sniffed and nodded. As she lifted her head to look Six in the eyes, her own gleamed with her final tears holding to their rims. _"Because I'm not letting you go now!"_

Six laughed sharply as Nova's arms tightened around him, and she hoisted him off his feet with a great grin and hugged tighter. He quickly wrapped his legs around her waist, and returned the hug as best as he could. "You'll have to let me go at some point." He licked her snout lovingly, helpless to her charm.

"_Nuh-uh!"_ Nova squeezed him a little now, still enjoying their game. _"Never!"_

"_Ye – eh…"_ Six's grin tightened a little as his chest constricted. _"You're hurting me…"_

"_Sorry."_ Nova eased her grip immediately. Her cheery smile softened a little more as they stared.

"Hey, just while you're carrying me…"

"_Of course."_ Nova's smile became a frown quickly._ "You want something."_

"Mind dropping me past the shower?" He asked hopefully. "I haven't had a shower or changed clothes in a while."

"_Shu' thing._" Nova smirked and lay Six across her shoulder like a sack of grain.

"Not nice." Six remarked as Nova carried him towards the door. He glanced up at Elise just as they headed through, and waved briefly. "Be out in a few. Oh, and dispose of the corpses if you can." Nova pulled the door shut behind him, cutting Elise's visual.

Elise gawked at the door. "Dispose of the corpses?" She eyed the four dead with a distasteful grunt. "I don't think so…"

*Three minutes later*

Six stood motionlessly as the warm flow of water beat down on his back. His eyes remained gently shut and his head rested against the wall of the shower, indulging in his memories again.

Nova held him in her arms, standing behind him with her chin resting on his shoulder. Her paws worked his chest, rubbing with a facecloth and stroking down his sides simultaneously. She smiled as she worked, loving the water spilling over them and the feel of his body on hers.

"_I missed these moments."_ She sighed dreamily and nuzzled into his neck.

"Yeah." Six nodded distantly, his mat of wet hair sticking to the shower wall as he did. "It's nice."

Nova purred and licked up the side of his neck. _"We could take it a little further…"_ Her free paw danced on his skin, touching it lightly and trailing up to his nipple. _"That is… if you want to…"_

"Not now." Six sighed and lifted his head away. His eyes stared blankly ahead, mirrored in the pearly white tile wall. Nothing there… just empty, icy silver. "When I'm in the mood. Later."

"_Kay."_ Nova dropped the cloth, having finished, and brought her paws higher. She let her claws slip slightly as her paws dragged up his torso, and gingerly teased their points up over his shoulders. She brought them just down his back, then began massaging them gently. Her aura searched his body as she worked, identifying specific points and digging her claws in.

"_You're tense."_ She said after a second, feeling Six's shoulder jump a fraction. Such a tiny movement it would have gone unnoticed by most. _"What's wrong?"_

"Somebody's coming upstairs…" Six droned as he focussed on the aura. "They're coming here."

"_Probably just one of those boys downstairs."_ Nova gripped his shoulders a bit tighter as he tried to turn, holding him down. _"Don't worry. They're probably just curious. They looked spooked when I arrived. Likely that man frightened them."_

"Yes. I'm sure they'll be _very_ curious to find four corpses in the centre of the room." Six crossed his arms, determined not to let Nova's touch sooth his vigilance. Relaxation caused him to miss things. Caused him to not notice important things. Unfortunately for his vigilance, Nova was _very_ good with her hands…

Fortunately for him, her movements ceased after the second it took her to register what he said. _"Oh…"_

"Dress me." Six pulled away and stepped around her, out of the shower. Nova turned and followed him, leaving the shower running.

"_Six, you need to relax."_ She halted him by placing a paw on his shoulder. She stopped at his side, and patted his shoulder. _"I'll handle this. Just get back in that shower and relax, kay?"_

"Nova." Six brushed her paw off and glared at her. "I'm coming out too."

"_Please… just relax…"_ Nova's paw went back again. She turned Six to face him, releasing her claws onto his shoulders again and trying her hand at calming him through another massage. _"Just let me handle this… you've been through a lot recently. You need to chill out."_

Their eyes met. Both pairs held their most intense gazes, sparking an immediate challenge. Six's eyes were perfectly still, sharp and precise. Nova's soft and red, but irises fluctuating through shades of orange and gold as if burning with an internal fire.

"Your eyes…" Six broke. His voice wavered, shaken as her eyes immersed him. "They're… beautiful…"

"_Thank you."_ Nova patted his shoulder, smiling with her victory, and headed away. Six leaned sideways a bit to glance out the door gap as it closed, but he saw nothing. He sighed as Nova disappeared, cursing himself for his weakness. Her eyes got him… every time…

"_Somebody's coming up."_ Nova strode into the centre of the room with her command. Elise's eyes darted from the photo at her feet and to Nova.

"What?" Her eyes immediately went to the four on the ground. Suddenly, she regretted dismissing Six's suggestion.

"_There is a person."_ Nova said _very slowly_, for Elise's benefit. "_And they are coming up here…"_ She hinted. _"You know. Where the bodies are…?"_

Elise's head bobbed slowly as the situation dawned on her. "What do I do?"

"_Return the Pokémon!"_ Nova quickly leapt to the human's body, and scooped it up. _"Return them to their balls, then take your pants off!"_

Elise nearly fell over halfway to the Pokémon. "What!"

"_Fine – just return the Pokémon!"_ Nova barked, and tossed the man's belt to her. She immediately set off towards the armoire at the end of the room, hoisting the body over her shoulder.

Elise caught the belt with a shaky nod, and gulped. Four balls on it. Each gleaming white on the bottom, pure as snow. The tops, shining red, thick as blood. She glanced over top of the balls in her hand at a patch of blood marking the carpet. That would be hard to mask, especially the coppery smell so thick in the air.

She fumbled through the balls and matched each to their dead occupants, returning them when she found the corresponding ball. She quickly threw the belt underneath the bed nearby, and fixed two onto the two empty slots on her own belt. The third, she quickly tossed under the bed.

Nova flung open the armoire and shoved the man's limp body in. She slammed the door shut on it before his body could tumble out again. _"Now just the blood."_ Nova spun around with an irritated growl as she spotted the distribution of blood spatters. The first three were in close proximity, and could be easily covered up by laying something across them, but the fourth was separate from them, two metres away. Not to mention the smell of blood was overwhelming. Someone would know something was up immediately. "_Elise, was it?"_

"Huh?" Elise spun to Nova as she attached the last ball. "Yes." She nodded sternly.

"_Lock the door, then kneel beside me."_ Nova tore the blanket from the bed as she sped towards the blood spatters. She tossed the blanket across the first three, and leapt to the floor beside the fourth. _"Here! Quickly!"_

"I'm coming!" Elise hurried to Nova's side then fell to her knees. No sooner had her knees touched the floor, Nova's paw wrapped around her wrist.

"_In the blood!"_ Nova jerked Elise's hand into the wet patch on the ground before she could protest. _"All over! Get it covered! Now!"_

Nova's' commands were too forceful for Elise to resist, and she obeyed quickly, compelled by fear and panic. She rubbed her whole hand into the bloody carpet. Both sides, smearing red all over.

"_Now hold out two fingers!"_ Nova instructed as she fell to her hands and knees, but still held Elise's wrist in one paw. Elise did so, shaking wildly.

The door suddenly clicked. Nova's paw tightened on Elise's wrist, and moved it in one fast, sharp motion toward her.

*Seconds earlier*

Two figures crept silently along the hallway, glancing about a little as they went. A boy of about nineteen led, and behind him an Electabuzz followed.

"Be ready for anything." He whispered to his Pokémon. The electric-type nodded with a quiet grunt, and eyed the approaching doors. He had seen the man who had entered, and he didn't like the look of him one bit. To further add to the situation, there was the Lucario who had practically smashed the front door off its hinges on its way in, and shot away upstairs without so much as a word. Something was up. "Room 13, was it?"

The electabuzz nodded distantly, still occupied by his train of thought.

"Hey!" The Pokémon was jerked back to reality as his trainer smacked his shoulder. The boy frowned at him, and shook his head. "Focus."

"(Sorry.)" The Pokémon scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"You're just out of it these days." The boy sighed and returned his eyes forwards. "What's gotten into you?"

"(There's a war going on outside.)" The electabuzz grumbled to himself. "(So I think I'm handling the situation pretty well.)"

"Room 13" The electabuzz stopped sharply, nearly bowling his trainer over as he stopped suddenly. The boy reached into his pocket and drew out a small silver key. Unlike the rest of the lodge's keys, this wasn't imprinted with a number. The master key unlocked every door. At least, that's what the concerned manager had told him when he handed it to him to let him investigate. "Ready yourself for anything…"

He took a deep breath as he slid the key into the lock. He twisted it a little. Locked. He twisted against the resistance, turning as smoothly and quietly as he could.

_Click._

He slammed the door handle down and barged through, forcing through the door with his shoulder.

"Cario?" Was the first thing he heard. A short, breathless gasp. As the door swung inwards, he leapt around the outside.

He nearly fell over as he saw the inside of the room.

A Lucario and a woman both flushed red in an instant. Their cheeks went a deep rouge as the boy's eyes landed on them. The woman kneeling behind the Lucario quickly jerked her blood-soaked hand from the Pokémon's behind, and promptly hid it behind her back. The Lucario clenched her legs shut and sat on her knees quickly, seemingly extremely embarrassed.

"Oh…" The boy stumbled back a little as he too blushed, realising what was going on. The blushing girls, the scent of blood, the girl's bloody hand and the patch on the ground just under the Lucario. He had interrupted on something private. "sorry…" He stammered nervously as he backed out the door. "I just… sent up to…" He gulped as his tongue fell limp. "Um…" He stepped back and slammed the door shut again.

"(Woah.)" A massive smirk of amusement wrapped the Pokémon's face as his trainer spun to face him.

"I think we should go…" The boy broke into a hasty stride, going back the way they came. Suddenly, he needed some time alone…

…and maybe a tissue or two.

"Oh, my god!" Elise screeched and leapt backwards, shaking her hand in a wild fit of disgust. "OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!"

"_Oh, get over it."_ Nova stood slowly, frowning at her matted fur between her legs. _"You got a little blood on your hand. Big deal. I could have AIDS…"_

"You... you just-!" Elise tried to scream, but no sound came out. "That's… you just… put my…"

"_Hey, lady."_ Elise jumped a little as Nova snapped at her. Nova placed her paws on her hips and stared hard at Elise. _"It really isn't that big a deal. This is Sinnoh, honey. Half the population have had a finger in a Lucario's vagina at some point or another."_

"Did you… have to do that?" Elise cringed as she glanced at her hand again. Bloody and red, and warm. It felt so wrong…

"_Six and I ran through fifteen other possible ways of solving this problem."_ Nova explained sternly. _"We identified this as the most successful in long term. Things like this will spread quickly. Soon the whole building will know. Public opinion will identify us as strange, and they will not bother us. Their presumption of our strangeness will lead them to forgive any other slight irregularities we display, justifying anything strange we may need to do."_ Nova finished, and crossed her arms. _"At least, that's what Six says."_

"Nova." A quiet bang sounded from the other side of the shower door.

"_Coming."_ Nova headed for the door. _"I think I'm going to need some cleaning now… if you catch my drift…"_ She opened the door just enough for her to slip through, and disappeared behind it. The door swung shut slowly, and latched itself without a sound.

Elise frowned at the door as she wiped her hand on a second towel which had been left on the end of the bed. "Fifteen other solutions?" She shook her head slowly. There was no way they could have gone through fifteen ways of getting rid of the boy in that short time frame.

"_Count yourself lucky."_ Elise jumped as Nova's voice echoed through her mind again.

"You can hear me?" She glanced about, as if searching for another place the voice came from.

"_Yes. And like I said – count yourself lucky. Originally we were going to go with solution number fourteen. That one had you on the receiving end – not me – but you didn't get your clothes off fast enough."_

Elise shivered at the mental image that created. **Hell no!** She thought sternly, glaring at the bathroom door.

"_Anyway,"_ Nova's voice chimed in again, _"We'll be out in a few. Right aft-"_ Elise cringed as a high-pitch mental squeal split through her mind, jarring her ears. _"Ooh, Six… mmm… you dirty little…"_ She stopped. _"Oops. Did I leave this thing on…?"_ She teased, quite intentionally before she shut their link off.

Elise spat an appalled mutter as she returned to the bed, and sat on the edge. Six had been alright so far, but his Lucario was going to be trouble. She was nosy. She was trouble.

Elise walked to the sink in one corner of the room and made her best effort to wash the remaining blood from her hand. She dried her hands on the same towel, and headed out into the corridor.

Stepping to the halfway point down the stairs quickly introduced her to a new atmosphere. The emptiness of upstairs shrunk back as the air bubbled with bright conversation. The stale stillness was forsaken for energy and warmth as trainers and travellers gathered about the fireplace.

Elise smiled as she glanced about, mood uplifted by the change. Until…

"…all the way up to the fist!"

Elise's smile dropped as she spotted the trainer who had walked in on her. He sat forwards in his chair, charged and excited as he recounted his experience.

"Like, _right in!_ Whole two fingers! All the way in there!"

A few situations quickly played through Elise's head as she strode towards the grouped youths. Most of them were young. Late twenties to late teens.

**Smack him one.** She smirked a bit at that one. Maybe. **Act appalled?** It seemed a sensible enough response, but the thought of just acting insulted didn't sit well with Elise. **Play along…?**

She smiled a little wider at that one. She had never before received an opportunity to act as audaciously as she could now, and likely would never again. **It's settled then! **She began towards them a little faster. **I'm a temporary lesbian poképhile.**

"I hear speak of me?" The group jumped collectively as she stole close. Elise chuckled at their shocked stares, and weaved between two of their chairs. She spotted the boy who had walked in on her, and a predatory smirk caught him breathless.

**Change of plans. I'm playful, flirtatious and loving it.** She swung a long, slender leg in an arc through the air, and landed it on one of the boy's armrests. She quickly slithered onto his chair, and in a second was sitting in his lap, facing him with her legs hanging off the armrests to the sides. "It is not polite to to talk about a girl behind her back…" She scolded playfully, and slid a bit closer. "Much nicer when we can sit face-to-face, no?"

"_Uuh…"_ The boy's lips flapped soundlessly as he tried, and failed to form coherent speech. His mind numbed and his brain shut down, leaving him paralyzed.

Elise burst into a fit of laughing at the boy's silence. She slid off him quickly, and stood upright as the group about her erupted into laughter too.

"That'll teach you not to gossip, Isaac." A teenage girl chuckled as the laughter settled. Elise flashed her a smile, and eased herself into a free seat at one side of the circle.

"We all have our… preferences. Do we not?" Elise shared her smile with the rest of the group. "I will not judge yours, and I ask you not to judge mine."

The others sort-of nodded, glancing about at each other and briefly conferring their collective stance on their new addition. "Fair enough." A boy her age – suited in a brown leather coat and jeans – nodded, and relaxed back in his seat. "So. What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

"You are asking business or pleasure?" Elise gave a sultry smile, and leaned back also. She hooked one leg across her other, and clasped her fingers in her lap. "A little bit of both."

Another few giggles.

"Here? No-man's-land. Kinda a melting pot for all the shit and flak either side can dish out." The boy smiled in return, keeping cool throughout. "What kind of business gets done out here?"

"The kind that a lady keeps to herself." Elise flicked her hair over a shoulder, humming a little in her throat. She glanced about a little, pondering on the boy's previous comment. "I have seen melting pots of both shit and flak. This place looks like neither."

The manager at the counter turned his head a little, and called over: "Folks leave us alone, here." He explained. "East, west, they all know where we are. They all know we're just civvies. They let us be."

"I see." Elise nodded. "A little garden of Eden in the middle of hell on earth."

"That's what it is." The man nodded. His brow suddenly rose after his lips shut. "Hey, that's good." His smile rose again. ""The garden of Eden". I've been looking for a new name for this place for a while now…"

"Well that is all well and good." Elise drew attention again as she spoke. Her voice was the type to draw attention. "But, consider this. Who else craves your fruits?"

A few more giggles as some members took it the wrong way.

The manager didn't appear amused. His brow furrowed again. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it is really quite simple." Elise rose to her feet, elevating to her full and substantial height as she turned to the manager. "You live safely in your garden of Eden, living off the fruits of peace and cooperation… but how many others will crave this?" She opened her arms wide, regarding the others in the room as she looked between them. "Warmth and shelter. Food and electricity. How long before those who wage war arrive, and desire the taste of luxury?"

"They know we're civilians." The manager shook his head slowly. Suddenly, he appeared concerned.

"Do you think that will stop them from "requisitioning" this building in the name of their side?" Elise demanded, sparking quiet argument amongst the group. "Do you think they will forever pass by when food and shelter and warmth are so easy to take when they wish?"

"But they…" The manager's lips stopped moving as he stared at the floor. He really hadn't thought about it seriously until now. "My lord… you're right…"

"Hey, hold up!" The same boy leapt to his feet, standing tall. "They ain't getting in here on my watch!"

"That's right!" Beside him, a young man climbed from his seat too, and looked to the manager. "Hamish, you have me a place to stay and food and shelter. I'm going to stay _right here_!" He folded his arms. "I'll be damned if they're taking this place away for their damn fighting!"

"Then I hope your resolve is as big as your mouths." The collective attention of the room landed on Six. Somehow he had gone unnoticed as he and Nova appeared halfway down the stairs. He leaned across the balustrade and crossed his arms, observing the occupants of the room. "There are exactly two Humvees on their way here right now. East Sinnoh. Number plates "CZQ18950" and "HGP54671". Each Humvee contains three soldiers. Two weedsuits. Four infantrymen: two with Pikachus, one a Floatzel and one a Dustox. There are also two archangel-class troopers. Lucario-Pidgeot combination. Both Pidgeotto are male, one Lucario female, one Lucario male. The male is a newbie, but the female knows what she's doing. That makes four regular human enemies, four regular Pokémon, two augmented humans and two combination Pokémon. Fourteen enemies in total, counting each archangel as two and each weedsuit as one. ETA fifty-four seconds, accounting for the vehicle's condition and the road traction… give or take two seconds to account for the driver's skill and confidence driving around corners at speed."

"Who's this guy?" The boy in the leather jacket shot a glance at Elise, remembering the two entering together.

"He's my _hand_icapped friend." Elise smiled just a little.

"That's not funny." Six frowned as he hurried down the steps. He stopped at the bottom with a murmur. "Well, it's a little funny, but it's no time for jokes." He strode to the edge of the group with Nova in tow. "This road is off the main highway. There's little along this way, except this place. They're headed here, and they'll arrive any second."

"The army's coming _here?_" Another member leapt up. "What are they doing?"

"I think that's already been discussed." Six grimaced as he scanned across the group. "If any of you _are _really serious about holing up in here and keeping them out, step forwards now."

The boy in the leather jacket stepped before Six even completed his sentence. "Let's do it."

"Toby, aren't you rushing into this?" The girl beside him taped his elbow with a shaken gulp. "You don't even know what's going on."

"The army's coming here." Toby brushed her hand off him. "If this guy wants to keep them out, then I'm game. I've been taken care of here, so damn right I'm gonna do what I can to keep them out."

The other dozen in the lounge seemed to meet with their eyes again. They checked one another, gauging the reactions about them. One in a green singlet stood up. Then, a girl wearing a heavy coat. One-by-one, all but a few stood with unsure murmurs.

"I think we're all game." One spoke up, smiling lightly.

"That's nice." Six grunted. "But I only want him." Their eyes all trailed after Six's finger, to the first boy to step forwards.

"Just me?" Toby seemed less enthused. "If these guys are-"

"You're hasty. Your quick to step up. I don't want them. I want _you."_ Six turned and quickly headed for the front door. "The rest of you, hide out in the basement, or upstairs, or somewhere. Elise: come with me. You too, kid." He motioned over his shoulder.

Nova energetically bounded around Six as he reached the door and threw it open for him. She stood at the side of the doorway and held it open for the next two to exit through. Toby watched her curiously as he followed, but a grunt from Nova was enough to discourage him.

Six turned around after a few steps outside. "You have to do everything I say. And quickly." He added quickly. "Let out your Pokémon."

Toby reacted as quickly as he had before. He grabbed his three pokéballs from his waist, and threw them all out.

"Ubone!" The first flash whirled about, and converged into the shape of a Cubone. The Pokémon twirled his club in a quick circle as he announced his entrance.

"Luxio!" The second cried as it practically leapt from its laser beam and onto the snowy pavement of the car park.

"'Ird." The third yawned as it sparked into existence. A Delibird scratched idly behind his ear with a bored expression.

"In, guys." Toby knelt and slapped his knee

The Cubone immediately ran for the Luxio as it turned around. He grabbed the Pokémon's man as he passed and jumped, hauling himself onto the electric-type's back. The Luxio had already broken into a brief dash, and arrived at her trainer's feet within a second. The Delibird, however, seemed reluctant as it waddled towards his trainer without any enthusiasm.

"Okay guys, we've got a situation." Toby began, addressing the three of them. "East Sinnoh military's going to be here in _seconds_," The Pokémon flashed urgent glances at one another, "but I need you all to keep calm, and listen to this guy." The Pokémon swivelled about with various grunts and growls of disapproval at Six.

Six was already on the ground. He sat in front of them quickly, and crossed his legs. "Listen to me very carefully…" He spoke very quickly, glaring at each Pokémon in turn and fixing his icy irises on theirs. "Things are about to get strange. You won't understand a lot of what you feel, but you need to trust that it's going to guide you in the right direction. Understand?"

The Pokémon conferred their thoughts briefly with one another, murmuring unsurely.

"LISTEN!" They leapt as Six roared at them. His voice fell flat, almost hissing between his teeth. "You listen to me and you listen very carefully because if you don't you're all going to die." He growled. "My Lucario is going to transmit you telepathic instructions and you are going to do whatever the hell she tells you the very second she tells you to do it, kapeesh? You will do everything she says the very moment she says it, and I promise you that you will feel something you've never experienced. You listen and obey and I promise you, you will all come out of this alive and you will experience something that will forever make you stronger, do I make myself clear?"

The Pokémon murmured again.

"DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!" The Pokémon leapt again, and nodded quickly. "Good." Six glanced at the hidden corner to the north. "Because they're here."

On Six's last syllable, the guardrail at the corner lit up in a full-beam of headlights. They cut a swath through the dimming night sky, lighting a path for the vehicles which swung around the corner. Green and grey Humvees. Each had a hatch up top, manned by a humanoid figure of some sort.

The Luxio shivered a little as the vehicles rolled around the bend towards them. "(What's going on Ryus?)"

"(Idunno.)" The Cubone shrugged, but patted his companion's head with his bone.

"(Who's that guy?)" The Luxio jerked her head a little towards Six, who sat behind her with his legs still crossed.

"(I don't know, Hanas. If I knew I would tell you.)" Ryus, the Cubone frowned as the Humvees' indicators flashed on.

"_What's up with this?"_ Nova asked from her hiding place on top of the roof. She had climbed up after closing the door behind Six.

"They're indicating…" Six observed with a curious murmur. "Interesting…"

"(What do we do?)" Hanas panicked a little as the vehicles came to abrupt stops. Each pulled up alongside one another at the entrance to the car park.

"(We listen to boss.)" They turned their heads as the Delibird approached from behind. A cigarette rested in his beak, and a thin trail of pale smoke rose from the glowing end. He crossed his arms and stopped beside them, eyes sharp on the intruding vehicles. "(Boss says listen to this guy. That's enough for me.)"

Ryus nodded a little, but appeared unconvinced. "(I'll listen, but-)" The left Humvee's door clicked open.

The light from the lodge's windows ran a glare across the tinted window as the door swung out, and from behind emerged a man dressed in military uniform. Dark crew-cut hair – as far as the eye could tell in this light – camouflage slacks over heavy military boots, and an olive green, tight-fitting t-shirt. His fingers remained gingerly wrapped around the edge of the door as he emerged around the side, as if reluctant to release it.

"State your business!" Six called. The man retreated a little to hide behind his door, but he emerged again quickly.

"Civilian!" The man called back, mustering his courage. "Stand down! We mean you no harm!"

"Why are you here?" Six called. In truth, he knew _exactly_ why they were here. He could sense the men in the back seats of the Humvees. He just didn't want to explain to the others when he could have the other man do so.

"We have casualties!" The man called. "Our men are wounded! We need medical supplies or they're going to die!"

"Where are your medics?" Six inclined his head. He still sat, still cross-legged, but he commanded attention.

"They were killed in action." The man called harshly. "Please, they don't have much time! We beg you!"

"The military begs us?" Toby nudged Elise gently with his elbow. "Rare moment. We should savour this moment. Enjoy it."

"How can you speak like that?" Elise's mouth was agape in shock. "These people are asking for our help, and you would… "play" with them like so?"

"I was kidding, I was kidding!" Toby shrunk back with a gulp at Elise's surprise reaction. He hadn't expected her to be so soft.

Six nodded a little. "All right. Bring them out." The man smiled just a little, and quickly went for the back seat. "Stop!" He froze. He glanced nervously over his shoulder at Six. It was clear what the situation was. Whoever was injured was clearly a friend of the driver. It would have to be a friend to shake him as much as he had been. "No weedsuits." Six said. "I know they're in there, and they aren't coming out until they're disarmed."

The man stared back blankly, mouthing something. "Why do-"

"Call it a hunch." Six interrupted. "No weedsuits. And tell your archangels to stay seated. If they take off, I'm going to take them out."

It took a few more seconds of challenging staring for the message to sink in. The soldier bit his lip and nodded, and leaned in his door to call to his comrades.

"_You…"_ Six cocked his head as an unfamiliar energy touched his mind. _"Who are you…?"_ it probed. _"What are you?"_

"_I'm Six."_ Six added a mental chuckle as he responded with his own telepathy. _"An archangel, I presume? You're the female."_

"_That is correct."_ The archangel responded. _"I project my telepathy with feminine qualities. I find it a satisfying sound."_ Six felt a small murr of satisfaction to illustrate. _"You… a vector, I presume?"_

"_That's correct."_ Six nodded, though he knew the Lucario couldn't see him. _"How did you pick that?"_

"_Only a few groups of humans can communicate telepathically."_ The voice replied. _"You just seem like the type. Confident. Calm. Commanding. Vector qualities…"_ The voice trailed off. _"Much too confident, for being alone…"_

"_I'm not alone, I can assure you."_ Six added another mental chuckle. He quickly terminated the link as the back door of each Humvee opened. A man emerged from each. No weedsuits. No archangels. Just men. Through aura, six sensed the Tangelas had been returned to their balls.

The men dragged a stretcher from each Humvee. Two on each stretcher, supporting one unconscious man on each. Six humans in total.

"All right. This way." Six stood up finally. "No funny business." With Six's permission, the four stretcher-bearers made their way towards the lodge hurriedly. Elise hung back at the door as they approached, and pushed it open. "Elise. Go inside and explain the situation."

"Very well." Elise nodded sharply, and stepped through ahead of the soldiers.

Six watched them disappear inside. As soon as their line of sight was broken, he quickly headed for the Humvees. He searched briefly with his aura, then diverted to the left one. He paced slowly around the edge of the back door, and glanced at the interior.

A Lucario in the far seat growled a little on sight, leaning towards Six a bit, but the Lucario closest placed a paw on his breast, halting him. "(Settle down.)" She instructed, petting a Pidgeot on the seat beside her with her free paw. "(He's here to talk to me.)"

"_I know you."_ Six went straight to the point, narrowing his eyes.

"_Do you?"_ The female appeared a little surprised by that. _"Well, I – of course – know you… I still remember how it felt like to connect to you… but you know me? There's a shocker…"_

"_I remember everyone."_ Six stated flatly. _"I will never forget that day. I will never forget anyone who was there… everyone who survived. Everyone who killed..."_ He paused as his heart tugged at him, cutting his breath short momentarily. _"Everyone who was killed…"_ He said softly. _"Especially the ones who were killed…"_

"_I see…"_ The Lucario nodded slowly. _"I regret that day… I truly do. I regret that day that I let loyalty destroy my identity…" _She sniffed a bit, and glanced at the ground.

"_You killed three."_ Six recalled. _"You were halfway up the clock tower. You killed three. A man of thirty-six. A woman of thirty-eight. A boy of ten."_

"_How do you remember that?"_ The Lucario looked up. Her eyes were suddenly sunken in tears. Bleary and soft as they ran through her fur.

"_I remember every moment of that day."_ Six replied. _"I remember that day sometimes when I sleep. I see that day again, and again, and again. When I dream on those nights, I see that day. Every time I kill them. I kill everyone who killed my friends. Everyone who killed innocents. I kill you, I kill those hired alongside you. And once it's all done, I kill myself… just so I can't hurt anyone else."_

"_I would say I'm sorry…"_ The Lucario said quietly. _"But I don't think it would mean much."_

"(What the hell?)" The other Lucario demanded, highly confused by what seemed like silence between them.

"_They betrayed us too."_ The female continued. _"Afterwards, they tried slaughtering all of us to hide what they had done. A few of us escaped… not many."_

"And so is the Hoenn cycle." Six said aloud, with a sigh. "Kill, betray, slaughter, and repeat."

"Hey!" Six stepped back as the soldiers emerged from the lodge, shouting and pacing quickly.

"Relax." Six snorted. "We were just chatting."

"_Just speaking. Chillax, Reggie."_ The female dismissed tiredly.

The soldiers didn't seem to get the message. "This is East Sinnoh Military property!" The leading soldier came to an abrupt halt before Six. He stood tall, shoulders back and stared hard. The man who had come from the second Humvee.

Six cocked his head. "I didn't touch your car, man." He replied disarmingly. "Relax."

"Just get back." The man pushed Six. Six regained his balance quickly, and landed on his back foot.

"No need for violence, now."

"_Cut the shit, Reggie."_ The female Lucario snapped.

"I see how it is." Six's face suddenly rose into a smile. "She's your "friend"."

"What?" The man spat, quickly reddening. The Lucario behind him facepalmed.

"She's your "friend"." Six repeated. "Your fuck-buddy, right? I can feel it. You and her have it on every so-often."

"Shut up, man." The soldier pushed again. Again, Six calmly stepped back.

"_Hey, don't be an idiot!"_ The female snapped. She isolated Six with her telepathy, making sure her message reached him and him only. _"Just shut up, head inside and let us leave."_

"_They won't let me."_ Six smirked a bit wider. _"That man at the back of the group?"_ The female glanced at the back member. Of the four soldiers, he seemed the least aggressive. Arms crossed and watching Six calmly. _"He knows who I am. He knows about my bounty. He isn't going to let me go."_

"And you." Six nodded to the second man. Reggie spun on one heel to glare at his comrade. "She's your fuck-buddy too? Isn't she?"

"What?" The second man stepped back sharply. "No!"

"What the-"

"_And _you…" Six nodded to the third. "Hell, she's hooked-up with the lot of you. Even the wounded guys. She's slutted herself on all of you, and none of you've been the wiser."

The Lucario's paws covered her face with an ashamed groan. Six hadn't even checked her aura to confirm his accusations. His accusations didn't need to be truthful – only arouse distrust. He only assumed, and by chance he assumed right.

"What the he-" Reggie's face fell as he stared at his red-faced comrades. "Johnny! You dick! I said she was mine!"

"Hey, she came on to me, man!" The fourth man shouted back.

"You should have done the right thing and rejected her!" Reggie pushed through the other two, making a path to the fourth.

"Hey, guys!" Six followed him quickly. He placed his limp hands on the second's and third's shoulders to try calm them all. Or so it seemed… "Settle down! I was just-"

"STAY!" The first spun and shoved Six again. "…out of this." He spun back to the fourth member with a growl.

Above on the roof and watching from her vantage point, Nova watched the scene with amusement. _"You're a devious bastard, Six."_ She complimented, lowering her arms and dispelling the charging aura about her paws. She knew what he had done.

"Hey! Lay off, Reggie!" The second recoiled. He threw his arm at Reggie suddenly, shoving him sideways. "You're a fucking egotistical bastard!"

"Yeah!" The third pushed Reggie back the other way as he stumbled backwards. "Everything's always about you! Arceus, you're one selfish prick!"

"YOU ASSHOLES!" Reggie writhed violently, throwing off the hands shoving him from, every direction. The three around him backed off a little with his outburst, but he wasn't done yet. "YOU! I trusted you, Johnny!" Reggie aimed a juddering arm at Johnny, the fourth man. "I trusted you, and you just fuck my Lucario? You're a worthless bastard!"

It all happened too quickly for the other two to stop it. Driven by irrational rage, Reggie lunged at his comrade. His right hand gripped the hilt of a combat knife at his waist, and raised it high for the kill.

The blade gleamed cold in the moonlight at the apex of the swing, before bathing itself in blood with its fall.

Johnny's mouth tore open with a fraction of a roar as the blade pierced his skin, and buried itself in his torso.

Reggie flew out of control. He spun about chaotically with his blade after wrenching it free of Johnny, swinging and slashing randomly at the others around him. "TRAITORS!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs, free hand tearing a pokéball from his waist. "YOU WERE MY FRIENDS!"

Three pokéballs released near-simultaneously. The soldiers whose names had yet gone unspoken released a Pikachu each as they regained their wits. Reggie, however, went one better. His pokéball released a Tangela.

"Armour!" He shouted as he leapt back, gaining distance. As soon as the word was spoken, his Tangela had fired a throng of vines at him. The turquoise tentacles slipped around his shoulders, around his arms and legs and torso, and in seconds he was consumed. Even his head was wrapped up, save two tiny slots for eyes. He spun as his Pokémon leapt towards him, and attached itself to his back. "Weedsuit!" He roared, and beat his chest as he spun around again.

"Thunderbolt!" The second man ordered.

"Iron-tail!" The third – thinking rationally about type matches – called.

The second's Pikachu leapt into the air as his brain registered the attack, and quickly charged his body. Sparks leapt from his red cheeks as his paws rubbed, collecting electricity.

The third's Pikachu leapt straight for the weedsuit without fear, setting his tail aglow with shining silver light.

Reggie swung his right arm into the incoming Pikachu. His fist exploded into a turquoise mass, launching a three-vine thick, twisted whip at the Pokémon halfway through his lunge. Helpless to stop in mid-air, the Pikachu swung his tail early into the vines. His tail scythed through the vines as they reached him, splitting them apart so they harmlessly bounced off him.

Reggie leapt forwards as the Pokémon was facing away from his landing, and threw another whip. The other Pikachu's thunderbolt struck him halfway through his attack, but he kept going. The Pikachu yelped as the vines crashed into his back, and quickly engulfed him. The vines swirled around him and wrapped him up, then tightened around his frail yellow body as he desperately struggled, but they choked the breath from him.

The Pikachu released an ear-splitting scream as something vines suddenly burst outwards from the vines. Barbs and thorns ripped from the surface of the vines all along, splitting the surface and transforming the slender whips into a vicious, barbed bludgeon with a spiked wrecking-ball at the end. The barbs dug into the captive Pikachu's skin painfully, stabbing him from every direction as if it were a horrid, natural iron-maiden.

"DIE!" Reggie roared, and swung the Pikachu around overhead, then swung his massive bludgeon forwards like a massive flail. The other Pikachu leapt aside with a startled cry as the spiked wrecking-ball of tentacles crashed into the ground beside him, tearing up the immediate ground with the colossal force.

Six stood back and watched the whole scene silently. Behind him, Toby rushed forwards to his side. "What are we going to do?" He demanded shakily, unsure of whether to help or not. It wasn't his fight, but he felt he should help.

"You watch." Six stated. _"Nova. Fire at will."_

"_Roger."_

As Reggie pulled on his flail to return it for another swing, the air cracked. Two blue flashes split the damp night sky, fired from the heavens above, it seemed. The flashes sheared straight through the vines holding to the wrecking-ball, and sliced through all three of them.

"Fire blast!" Six glanced over his shoulder as the sound reached him. The air roared and Six felt a surge of heat on his face as the fireball rumbled past overhead. Reggie made a doomed attempt to dodge the blast, but the fireball blew at his feet.

An explosion shattered the night silence for miles all around, and the perfect gloom of dusk was broken as a flash of fire erupted from somewhere.

The splash of the fireball engulfed Reggie wholly for a moment – engulfing him in a flash of orange and red. As the flames fleeted and dissipated, and the smoke rose away, a blazing shape fell from the sky a few dozen metres away. Flames consumed it as it fell, and a trail of acrid grey smoke spiralled after it as it disappeared on the other side of the road. It fell from view and fell to the floor of the valley hundreds of metres below.

The third soldier rushed for the mass of vines as the urgency of the situation dawned on him. He quickly drew his personal knife, and stabbed the mass. The blade struck the side of the vine, and dug in only a centimetre.

"Ryus!" Toby shouted. His Cubone quickly jerked his head toward his trainer. "Cut'em loose!"

"(Cut him loose!)" Ryus shouted, raising his bone and clinging to Hanas' mane. Hanas nodded and dashed to the vines.

Ryus twirled his bone quickly as he leapt off Hanas' back. When he landed and stopped the bone spinning, he held, instead, a bone knife. He pushed the soldier aside, and stabbed his own knife in. As he worked the serrated blade on the vines, Six turned his attention to Elise behind him.

She stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe. Her face was blank, and the wind caught her hair a little. Above her, a Volcarona beat its wings steadily, maintaining a gentle hover.

"Nice timing." Six stopped in front of her and nodded.

"I would return the compliment…" She paused, "but I would be lying. Your timing was inappropriate. You could have ended everything much sooner."

"I like to see my handiwork play out before I stop the game." Six turned and looked back to the Cubone.

"Your handiwork?" Elise marvelled, quite sarcastically. "I was not aware you started that argument… most impressive."

"_You have the benefit of doubt."_ Nova dropped from the roof, landing nearly silently between Six and Elise. _"Six is a man of many talents. You shouldn't underestimate him."_

"And you shouldn't overestimate me." Six grinned at Nova. "I'm just a simple cripple with a Lucario… or a _hand_icap." He laughed a little, but his smile dropped quickly. "But yeah. I started that."

"Really?" Elise glanced back at the Cubone as he sliced through the last remaining vine. "Mind explaining how? Or is that a mysterious secret of yours?"

"It's easy to manipulate weak-minded individuals." Six stated. "Even an idiot can do it, provided they know _just _where where to poke and prod about. My aura allows me to identify these places to prod. Reggie, as an example, was weak-minded. He was egotistical, jealous and distrusting. That led to be his downfall."

"Aura?" It seemed to be the only thing Elise picked up on. "So you _do_ have aura powers?"

"I do." Six nodded.

"I suspected." Elise nodded slowly. "And… your name is Six? Not Mark, or Marcus, or any of those other things?"

"I go by Six." Six nodded. "Now – I think we've all had our share of fun today, haven't we?" Nova shrugged and nodded. Elise yawned in response, and nodded too. "'s what I thought." Six observed. "I'm heading upstairs for some sleep. I haven't been in a bed in so damn long…"

"_Sounds fun."_ Nova agreed. She threw an arm over Six's shoulder as he headed back inside, and walked alongside.

"I'll be with you in a few." Elise nodded distantly, still watching the scene. Two Lucarios had emerged from the Humvee, and were assisting with settling the situation.

"_Don't get comfy."_ Elise's head jerked around.

"What?" She glanced about, searching for the voice.

"_Don't get comfy."_ Nova. _"You have neither of us fooled. We know you aren't who you say you are, so don't think you hold all the cards. Until you prove yourself, I don't trust you. Sometimes it may seem he does, but trust __me__: Six doesn't trust you. You're with us because you can help us, but remember – nobody trusts you…"_

Oh dear! MORE questions!

WHAT is Nova's problem with Elise?

WHO is Elise, really?

WHO is the Lucario from the Humvee?

And most importantly:

WHAT happened on the day Six will never forget?

Next up: Expect to see more of Ryus, Toby, Hanas and the Delibird, things getting heated between the girls, and the new face of evil – the shadow triad…


	3. Rend3zvous

Uuurm… I don't own Pokémon… m'kay? And… uuurm… don't plagiarise me or my story… m'kay? Coz plagiarism is bad… and if you plagiarise, you'll go to prison… m'kay? M'kay… and prison is not a very nice place… prison is full of bad people, and… and if you go to prison… they'll rape you in prison… So… prison is bad… m'kay?

M'kay.

"_Telepathy." Or emphasis._

**Character thought.**

_**SUPA-EMPHASIS! Or telepathic emphasis.**_ _**Or if I'm yelling at you for plagiarism…**_

_**Here we go for the hundredth time-!**_

[/ LETHAL VECTOR \\\\\\\\\\]

[3: Rend3zvous]

"_Don't get comfy."_ Nova. _"You have neither of us fooled. We know you aren't who you say you are, so don't think you hold all the cards. Until you prove yourself, I don't trust you. Sometimes it may seem he does, but trust __me__: Six doesn't trust you. You're with us because you can help us, but remember – nobody trusts you…"_

Elise stared after the two as they disappeared upstairs, unsure of what she had just heard.

"Am I the only one confused, here?"

"Huh?" Elise glanced over her shoulder. Toby arrived behind her, hands in pockets to hide them from the wind. His black fringe rested sparsely across his forehead, nearly reaching his eyes.

"That fight…" He looked at his feet, where his Pokémon stood on either side of him. "Those guys. A bit random, right?"

"Oh." Elise nodded. "Yeah. It was."

"The Pikachu's going to live." Toby added, once again glancing over his shoulder. "A bit cut up, but a little medical attention will fix him up." Toby shivered a little, and continued around Elise to the door. His Pokémon followed single-file behind him. Luxio and her Cubone mount first, then the Delibird lagging behind.

The door shut behind his Delibird, leaving Elise and her Volcarona alone, save the soldiers further away in the centre of the carpark.

"Vol?" Her Pokémon finally spoke up.

"It's nothing." Elise sighed. She turned around and made her way inside.

The room's attention landed on her as she closed the door behind her. The manager lifted his wary eyes from a glass he was busy cleaning. "Something unpredictable." He muttered, and looked back down. "Never know what's around the next corner."

"Don't I know it…" Elise dropped her practiced speech pattern. She just couldn't be fucked with it. She staggered towards the manager and dropped onto a nearby stool with a sigh. "Got any beer? I need something…"

*One hour later*

"Six?" Elise eased the room door open and poked her head through. Nobody. Empty. The bed was empty, and neatly made. Odd. She remembered seeing Six there… lying beside Nova beneath the covers… **just my imagination.** She thought as she closed the door behind her. "Six? Are you in here?"

"In here." She looked at the bathroom door as his muffled voice seeped around it. She paused a moment before moving – a deep part of her wondered what Six was doing – but made her way towards the door.

It swung open for her as she reached it. The door swung away from her, and into the room beyond. She stepped through, and gazed about in bewilderment.

"What the-"

The bathroom was suddenly bigger. The shower, the toilet and basin were gone. In its place, the walls immediately opened outwards, and formed a mirror image of the room she had just left. She had stepped through a mirror, and was on the other side. The white walls, the beige skirting boards, it was the same room. The same shape, the same size, but reflected.

There was one difference. In the centre of the room, where the bed should have been, was a Jacuzzi. A spa bath sunk into the floor in the same spot, and host to two cheerful and bright figures.

Six and Nova.

Nova relaxed against the edge of the bath with a dreamy purr, spreading her arms across the back of it and wearing the second most joyous grin Elise had ever seen in her life.

Immediately at her side, shirtless and enjoying himself immensely, was Six. Six, who wore the great grin to which Nova's was runner-up. It was a portrait of absolute pleasure. It was wide, it was genuine, it was bright. Six's whole face softened as he smiled, and he took a distinct boyish appearance. Glossy hazel hair, a carefree grin and a pair of shorts soaking under the water.

"Hey, Elise." Six raised a hand and waved. His fingers moved. They straightened, his wrist bent, and he waved properly. "Nice outfit. Compliments your hair."

"I'm sorry?" Elise glanced down at her body. So did Nova.

She somehow hadn't noticed, but evidently she had changed into her bikini without realising it. A perfect, pure white two-piece swimsuit. In her cleavage she caught a glimpse of black fabric, which wouldn't turn transparent when wet, but other than that there was no other colour to be seen.

"Oh… this…" Elise glanced back up with a nervous grin. She immediately spotted something wrong with Nova.

Her muzzle hung wide open. Her thin red tongue hung over her lips, and she sat totally rigid as Elise approached. "_By the lord Arceus…"_ She gawked, _"Where on earth did you get a rack like __**that**__?__"_

Six exploded into laughter as soon as the telepathic words formed in his mind. Elise nearly tripped and fell face-first into she spa. She caught herself giddily, and immediately flushed red.

"You're a character, Nova." Six chuckled. "Quite ladylike, indeed."

Elise's mouth opened, but Nova held a finger up to silence her. "_Wait – I know this_." She smirked. She cleared his throat briefly, and sat straight upright. "_That's rather impolite of you._" Nova placed her hands on her hips with a frown. "_Staring at my breasts. Why, I never!_"

"Has she been smoking?" Elise rebutted sharply as she lowered herself into the spa also, taking note of Nova's sudden turn in attitude.

"No. She's fine." Six stroked behind her head a little. Nova 's tongue rolled out again as she leaned back into his hand. "She's perfectly fine."

"Wait-" Elise sat upright before she could settle back, "this is a dream…"

"Yeah." Six nodded. "When did you figure that out? The spa bath in the reflected room or Nova being friendly?"

"A little too friendly…" Elise muttered as she settled back. "So… none of you are real?"

"Oh, we're real." Six nodded. "Using my aura, I can connect us mentally, and drag us all into a collective dream." He paused, and held out his hands. "That's how I keep function of my hands. I use them in my dreams so I still recall the movements through muscle memory so that when I one day get them healed I will remember how to use them."

"Wow… that's… amazing." Elise's mouth fell a little. "You can just… drag us all into your dream?"

"That's the jist of it." Six leaned back and wrapped his arms around Nova's shoulders. She responded similarly, and rested her head on his shoulder. "And I can do whatever I want."

Six's free arm lifted from the water. It closed around an empty point of air, and suddenly a cocktail glass flashed into his hand from nowhere. "A drink?" He offered to Elise.

"Um… sure." She shrugged, and took the glass. "Thanks. What is it?"

"Guess." Six smiled a little. Nova's ears perked a bit as she sat upright, and sniffed the air curiously.

Elise lifted the thin glass to her lips and took a sip. She swirled the liquid about her mouth like she had been taught, savouring the taste. Nova's lips quickly rose into a grin as she recognised the scent, and she settled back beside Six again.

"Sweet…" Elise observed after swallowing her mouthful. She let the taste linger on her tongue – easy as it was so strong – and swirled the glass, smelling it. "A little Coconot berry?" She asked.

"Not it." Six shook his head. Nova giggled a little.

"No…" Elise agreed. She lifted the glass and sampled the sweet nectar again. "A little tangier… a bit thicker… no bubbles… strong scent…" She sipped again. A hopeless smile displayed her surrender, and she sat back with a shrug. "I have no idea what this is – but it is brilliant. What in the world is it?"

Six shrugged a little, smirking. "Just a little something that Nova makes for me occasionally."

Nova loosed a rapturous howl, and threw her face forwards into the bath. Elise's drink spilled across the carpet behind her as she jerked backwards in surprise, screaming at the sudden movement.

Six nearly slipped under the surface as he cracked up laughing, slapping the surface ecstatically.

The water didn't quite settle. As the splash wave subsided, the surface still rose and bubbled around Nova's head with escaping air.

"What in the hell?" Elise barked shakily, pressing herself away from the crazy Lucario.

Nova's head exploded from the surface a second later. Immediately the air ripped with laughter again as she failed to control herself.

Six laughed softly alongside as her bellowing calmed slowly. It came crashing down through a fit of coughing and spluttering and wheezing as her breath ran out, and ended on a dry, winded squeak.

"_Ouch…"_ Nova commented with a painful grin, finally sitting up again.

"I repeat. What in the hell?" Elise demanded.

"Oh, it's nothing." Six didn't even try to convince her. Her just smirked widely, and shook his head.

"_I can't believe you just did that…"_ Nova chuckled telepathically, speaking privately to Six. _"Making her drink that…"_

"She liked it." Six defended, innocent as possible. He shut his mouth, and immediately opened a private telepathic link with Nova. _"I bet that turns you on."_

"_SO much."_ Nova chuckled back, keeping their speech between them as Elise gazed about the room, blissfully unaware of the two's conversation. _"She's hot. I'll give her that much. A real beaut."_

Six nodded a little as his eyes ran down Elise's body again as she settled further into the spa. Nova was right. As far as random strangers went, this one was arguably the finest.

He spoke up again after a moment. "_She isn't as bad as you suspect."_

Nova's frown dropped. She had hoped to go at least the night without this being brought up, but she knew Six was concerned about her attitude. _"It's a matter of opinion."_ She sighed, and shut her eyes. Shut Elise from her sight. _"I just don't trust her… Why should we trust anything she says? We have no reason."_

"_That doesn't mean we should distrust her."_ Six tapped Nova's shoulder lightly as they spoke, doing his part to reassure her. _"I've lied to her, but you don't see me trying to kill her or capture her. We're all entitled to secrets. Elise clearly has secrets, and as long as I believe these secrets won't affect us, I'm happy not knowing them."_

"_Whatever."_ Nova sighed, giving up somewhat. _"But that doesn't mean I have to be nice to her. I don't like her."_

"All right then." Six spoke aloud now, alerting Elise.

"Sorry?"

"It's nothing." Six dismissed.

Beside him, Nova lifted herself from the bath. She flicked her head gracefully as she stood, throwing water across the carpet behind her and letting remaining water wash down her body and back into the bath. _"I need to use the bathroom."_ She lifted one leg out of the bath as she spoke over her shoulder. _"I'll be back in a second."_

Nova lifted her other leg to her first, climbing out of the bath, and disappeared. She just vanished into thin air.

"Huh." Elise recoiled slightly with a curious grunt. "I swore there was a Lucario there a second before…"

"She's woken up for the moment." Six explained. "She'll be back soon."

"Oh joy." Elise sunk into the tub with a long, heavy sigh. She slid down the side up to her chin, submerging most of her body. "She really does not like me."

"Nova doesn't like a lot of people." Six imitated her. He slid down the wall to his chin, and relaxed there. "That's just who she is. Nova. She isn't a people-person."

"I can tell. She certainly has a problem with me."

"Give her a chance." Six smiled a little and shrugged. "Nova's a tricky girl, but she grows on you. When you get to know her, she's really quite affectionate."

"Ha!" Elise chuckled a little at the mental image that created. Her and Nova, arm-in-arm in a tub and scratching like Six and she had just before. "You'll understand if I find that picture… amusing."

"She's careful. She's cautious. When she feels safe and secure, you see a whole new side of her." Six snapped his fingers and another glass flashed from the air. "Another?"

"Don't mind if I do." Elise leaned across and took the glass with a grateful nod. Taking her first sip, she immediately recognised it as the same mysterious substance as before. Sweet, thick and a little tangy. It was a remarkable, unique taste that couldn't be compared to anything else. "So – while we are alone – I have a question, if you would grace me with an answer."

"Grace you I would." Six nodded. "Ask away."

"What's between you and Nova?" It took a little nerve to put forth the question. It felt as if Nova might return at any second and hear Elise.

Six smiled a little, and dropped his head back on the edge of the tub. "We're friends."

"Just friends?" Elise probed with a grin of her own. "Nothing more?"

"Just friends." Six nodded.

"That's curious…" Elise murmured, directing it at Six. "I don't think I've ever seen friends like you two. Kissing, hugging, licking… very friendly indeed."

"Ah…" Six's eyes widened as the situation dawned on him. "I see how you would get that impression."

"Do you?"

"It's a gesture." Six stated. "I can't move my hands, so I can't make gestures most people can. I can't touch shoulders with my fingers, I can't put my finger to one's lips to silence them, I can't pat on the shoulder. Instead, I use my mouth. I kiss, lick and bite, and all of the sort to communicate messages with Nova. I like to kiss her on the neck to settle her when she's a bit wild. It calms her down."

"I… see…" Elise stared at the roof, trying to keep her eyes off Six as a little heat flushed her face in her embarrassment. She had been wrong again. She had presumed wrongly about Six. He was indeed difficult to read.

"Be careful of Nova."

"What?"

"Be careful." Six's eyes focussed on Elise's. "Nova's nice at heart, but get on the wrong side of her and you're as good as dead. Don't do anything to annoy her."

"Of course." Elise dismissed the warning with a meagre smile. She cringed on the inside. **Why did you have to say that? Just, worry me even more, why don't you?**

"She's obedient to me." Six continued. "She does what I say, when I say. But she's also overprotective of me."

"That makes sense." Elise thought back to her previous conversations with Nova, and to her interactions with Six. Always close by. Always watching him.

"Here's the deal." Six moved his hand. It lifted to his eye-level, and lay flat just in front of his face. "See this? This is me. I'm top dog. Top of the food chain. What I say – goes."

"Okaaay…" Elise nodded as she followed his train of thought.

"This?" He placed his other hand beneath. "This is Nova. Under me. She's mine. I'm her master, she's my bitch. She does **everything**, and I mean **everything** I say, when I say it. She's allowed to ask questions, but she'll only do so while she's doing what I tell her. No delays, no goofing around. She obeys me without haste. Without the slightest shred of free will. She's _mine._"

Elise stared silently as Six's voice turned a note darker with his explanation.

"This…" His top hand moved, and swung around under his other hand representing Nova, and flattened out levelly. "This is you. You're under Nova. That means you're her bitch."

"I'm sorry?" Elise sat upright quickly with a huff of annoyance. "I am nobody's-"

"LISTEN!" Elise gave a small "eep" and shut her mouth as Six roared. "DON"T interrupt me." He warmed with a hiss. He jabbed a finger at Elise forcefully with every word he spoke: "You do NOT interrupt me. EVER! Understand?" Elise nodded hurriedly, shocked into submission by Six's new change in character. "Now, as I was saying…" He returned his hands to their positions, losing the anger as quickly as it had come. "Nova… you. You're under Nova. Nova tells you to do something, you do it. Understand?"

"Yes…" Elise nodded quickly as she followed Six's every word precisely.

"It's a hierarchy. If you want to get on Nova's level, you have to gain her trust. The thing with Nova is that she's actually a control freak. She may not seem like it, being ordered around by me, but she absolutely _adores _being in control. You do what she wants, and she'll warm up to you."

Elise was about to nod, but she didn't get the chance.

"Aaa-" Heat filled Elise's cheeks as something clamped over her mouth. The room around her crashed away into the ground. The water emptied immediately and the sides of the tub fell away. Her body came crashing down backwards onto her back, throwing her into an uneasy, giddy daze. The lights cut off at the same time, and the world blurred out of focus.

"Hmm?" Six cocked his head as Elise disappeared. He shut his eyes and made an attempt to extend his aura. "Dammit…" It didn't work. Being away from Nova for long periods tended to mess with his aura.

Random waking during dreams was a regular thing. He too experienced it when he first began to control his dreams. It was normal to just fade out…

There was nothing wrong.

"_Mmmmff?"_ Elise's eyes burst open as she tried to cry out again.

The ceiling blurred momentarily. It shifted and fuzzed as her eyes adjusted to the choking darkness, then settled to a solid state. At the edge of her vision, she saw a hazy mass of dull blue and something a little brighter, and as she tried to sit upright, she felt something heavy on her stomach.

Then, everything was visible.

Night time. No lights on. Lying on the couch. And Nova. Nova straddling her torso, glaring coldly at her from above and holding her mouth closed with a paw. Even for all its bodily warmth and fur, it felt as cold as the steel from which her bones were forged.

"_Not a sound."_ Nova's lips split a little at the corners as she growled.

"_MMmf? Mmmmf!"_ Elise struggled against her, trying to heave her arms up, but found Nova's legs holding them tightly to the couch.

"_What is this?"_ Her free paw rose into view from her side. Her tone remained monotonous, seething a little and barely containing the storm of rage she held within. Her blood-crimson eyes pierced Elise's, speaking with true accusation to her very soul, it seemed.

From her paw, a scrap of paper fell open. Its creases and folds separated, and spilled apart.

Elise loosed a great squeak of fear on the inside the second it took her to register what it was. The bounty notice she had stashed in her pocket. Nova had dug through her pockets while she was asleep and pulled it out. By the look which quickly warped the Pokémon's face, it seemed she was none too pleased.

"_What is this?"_ Her growl rose higher this time, and her fangs glinted coldly with her second demand. Her paw rose a fraction for Elise to answer.

"I… I don't know." Elise replied shakily, without thinking her answer through.

"_You know damn well what this is!"_ Elise gagged as she tried to scream. Nova's paw slipped from her mouth and wrapped around her neck. _"WHAT is this doing in your pocket? WHY do you have it!"_ She demanded. _"ANSWER ME OR I'LL BREAK YOUR NECK WHERE YOU LIE, YOU FUCKING BITCH-WHORE!"_

Elise whimpered loudly as her head fell limp on the pillow behind her, exhaling her last breath as loudly as possible to protest against the paw tightening around her throat. She gagged painfully as her attempt to take a last breath failed miserably, and left her sucking dry, lifeless carbon-dioxide. The fuzz, the blur, it all returned as a groggy haze as her throbbing head felt light…

The door flew open. Elise's head tipped to face the doorway with her last nudge of strength. The door swung aside, and a burst of radiance cut through the darkness choking her. In the centre of the frame, a shadowy figure appeared like a guardian angel in the nick of time. Its outline shone and wavered ethereally, pulsating at the edges with righteous power. "Hey! What's-"

It was just the guy from earlier. Toby.

Nova flew into action before he even saw what was going on. She fired off the couch like a ninja –arms back, body forwards in a streamlined position and roaring on approach – and launched herself at Toby without a second thought.

Toby stumbled back with a shocked exclamation as the Lucario seemed to appear from nowhere – just flashing into the light from the depths of the darkness – and charged at him. Fortunately for him, she had failed to notice his Pokémon at the edge of the door.

Nova roared as she drew her fist back, and threw forwards a massive punch as she shot through the doorway. At the same time, a small brown Pokémon leapt at her from the side of the door, swinging upwards with something.

Nova gasped as the thing hit her forcefully in the stomach and threw her trajectory upwards. She flew over Toby's head and smashed into the wall above. The plaster exploded outwards as her body smashed into it, and sailed through. Boards snapped and broke away as she tumbled into the unoccupied room opposite.

"(That's right bitch!)" With a hearty chuckle, the Delibird leapt onto the edge of the hole Nova's collision created and stood there, sack over shoulder. "(You don't mess wit' the boss!)"

"_You fat little fuck!"_ Nova hissed as she rolled out of her fall and jumped to her feet. The Delibird grinned wider in response, and shoved a hand into his sack. _"You're gonna pay!"_ Nova drew an arm back and briefly lit it with silver energy, then threw it forwards at her opponent. The Delibird smirked and leapt backwards.

He sailed backwards into the air, flipping back as he went. He soared overtop of the flash-cannonball as it rocketed beneath him, and drew a glowing, pearly orb from his sack. He righted himself in mid-air as the cannonball punched through the wall behind him, and tossed his sphere with maximum force.

Nova had regained herself by this time. She dived around the attack with extremespeed as it soared past and exploded behind her, and leapt onto the edge of the hole. She dived through again, still with extremespeed, and landed on the other side before the Delibird had even hit the ground.

The Delibird's beak parted momentarily in shock. Nova had moved so fast he hadn't realised what had happened. His squawk was cut short as Nova's paw slammed into his stomach, smashing him back into the wall behind him. Her paw held tight against him for a moment – pinning him against the wall as he released a gagged splutter.

"_And stay down."_ Nova grunted, and removed her hand. The Delibird tried moving his arms to catch himself, but his entire body fell limp. He fell like a rock, and hit the floor lifelessly.

"(Hey!)" Nova spun.

At the end of the corridor, Ryus sat atop Hanas and twirled his bone club. He stopped the bone in its spin, and held it pointed at Nova.

"(Pick on someone your own size!)" Hanas barked, ending in a growl. On cue, Ryus swung his bone, and hurled it at Nova.

Nova sidestepped with ease. The bone flashed past in an arc and flew to the end of the hallway. She spun to follow the bone, knowing it would be back to hit her on the return. She didn't see Hanas leapt forwards towards her.

Hanas drew a brace of claws and dug them into the ground, then used them to launch herself at Nova. As she did, Ryus jumped on Hanas' shoulders and leapt up at Nova also. Hanas slashed her claws across Nova's' leg as she leapt past.

Nova cried in pain as her leg spasmed in pain, and fell to her knee as Hanas shot away to safe distance. Then, Ryus' legs suddenly wrapped around her neck. Ryus held his arm up and caught his bone on its return, and before Nova worked out what was happening swung the bone around and clubbed her across the head.

He leapt backwards off her as she collapsed forwards. She hit the ground on her front with a short grunt. Hanas was quickly upon her, and jumped onto her back before she could get up again. Nova squealed in pain as Hanas sunk her fangs into her neck and wrapped her tail around her leg. Hanas shook her mane briefly, working up a charge, then fired a thunder wave into Nova as she was subdued.

She remained on Nova's back for a moment more, holding her. Nova's protests stopped, and she fell silent. She stopped moving. Hanas finally released her with a satisfied nod, sure her prey was immobilized. "(She's down.)"

"What the hell?" Toby stumbled out of the room again with wide-eyes. He glanced from his own paralyzed Pokémon to Nova, and back again a few times. "Who the- what the…?"

"Nova…" Toby spun around as Six sighed. Six completely ignored Toby in the doorway, and shouldered past him on his way out. The other Pokémon stepped back as Six stooped beside Nova. "What have you been doing?"

"Dude!" Toby took a strong stance and crossed his arms. "She just went nuts! What the hell is wrong with her?"

Six ignored him still. "Are you okay?" He asked, nudging Nova with the tip of his boot. Nova nodded stiffly, still paralyzed for the most part. He sighed and hooked his boot under her side, then rolled her onto her back.

"_Please – roll me back."_ She said immediately, closing her eyes tight. Six sighed again, and rolled her over again so she was face-down. She released a bottled sigh as her face was hidden from view. She didn't want them to see her face. Not now… she felt so stupid for what she had done…

"That's her way of saying sorry." He stood upright and turned to Toby. "Sorry. She gets jumpy."

"**Jumpy?"** Toby raised an eyebrow meaningfully. Ryus and Hanas did similar. "You call that _jumpy?_ She's nuts!"

"She's scared." Six replied calmly.

"She was choking me!" The boys glanced at the doorway as Elise dared to emerge. She rubbed her throat a little and kept to the inside of the room, just in case Nova found the strength to stand. "She just… strangled me…"

"Why?" Six cocked his head. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!"

"I don't believe you." Six stated. He turned again and knelt beside Nova. "What did she do?"

"_She has a bounty notice."_ Elise jumped back a little with a gulp as she heard Nova's' voice. _"She has one of those bounty notices on you."_

"Does she now?" Six glanced at Elise. She backed away a little. She had no idea how Six would respond.

"Yes." Elise nodded, and assumed an upright stance. "I do have a bounty notice on you. It's something I picked up on my travels."

"An unlikely story, but I assume you'll think better of turning me in." Six nodded to Nova. "Help her up."

"Why-"

"DO it." Six ordered.

Elise frowned at Nova's body, and clung to the doorframe. Her fingers were reluctant to release it. Although, she figured she'd have to get along with Nova at some point or another… helping her out couldn't do any harm, could it? She strode forwards reluctantly, and scooped her arms under Nova.

"You have a bounty on you?" Toby appeared at Six's side. His eyes rose curiously, sparked by the mention of bounty.

"Court thing." Six shrugged, replacing his usual mask of indifference with a nervous smirk. "Drink-driving charges, caused a little smash-up. I didn't show up for my day in court…"

"They're following you into a civil war because of court charges?" Toby's mouth hung at the audacity of the idea. "You're kidding me. You're kidding me, man."

"I don't kid." Six dropped his smile and gave Toby a hard stare. A look which suggested he mind his own business. "I lie, I deceive, I cheat, I kill, I hurt, but I don't kid." He ended coldly. He turned his back on Toby and strode through his doorway quickly. "Elise. Door."

After setting Nova's rather heavy body on the couch, Elise quickly paced to the doorway and held it as Six entered. She managed a nervous smile as her and Toby's eyes met. She stepped out through the doorway and pulled it shut behind her.

"I assure you – it's a very long story."

"I'd say so." Toby agreed. He still stared at the door behind Elise, irked and confused by what he had seen and heard.

Elise walked away from the door and began down the corridor. She paused to look over her shoulder. "Come. I'm heading downstairs. Would you care to join me?" She smiled politely.

Her smile freed Toby from his blank moment. He nodded quickly and began after her. "Yeah. Sure. Why not?"

Ryus and Hanas briefly looked at one another. They both stood still, communicating through their silence. "(What about Jobey?)" Hanas broke the silence. She jerked her head sideways a little, indicating to the paralyzed Delibird which Toby seemed to have missed.

"(Grab him and drag him with us.)" Ryus said as he walked to Hanas. Hanas lowered herself as Ryus grabbed her mane and threw a leg over, then paced to the Delibird. "(Are you awake?)"

"(_Awake…)"_ The Pokémon grunted awkwardly.

"(Grab him.)" Ryus instructed. Hanas obeyed, and wrapped her tail around his leg. Ryus turned away from Jobey and glanced over his shoulder to glimpse Toby disappearing around the corner ahead. "(Somebody's lovestruck…)"

"So, who's your friend up there?" Toby asked.

He sat in a large red recliner, a couple of metres from the roaring fireplace. Elise sat nearby with her chair turned on an angle toward him. On Toby's lap, Hanas rested in a ball, purring. Ryus lay on Hanas' back, lying on his own back and snoozing. Jobey sat at the foot of Toby's chair, muttering and rubbing his paws together quickly with an irritated frown.

"Marcus." Elise grumbled a little as she glanced upwards. "He is just a travelling partner."

"A friend of yours?"

"I haven't known him for long." Elise told him. She figured Toby was the kind of guy she could be honest with. No lies, no deception – she had had enough. Telling the truth was so much more relaxing than lying constantly. "He's a little weird."

"No kidding." Toby chuckled alongside Elise, stroking a finger along Hanas' back. She smirked a little more and showed her appreciation by rubbing his thigh with her tail. "And his crazy Lucario…"

"(Don't remind me…)" Jobey groaned and rolled his eyes. He had had enough of Lucarios for a while…

"Lucarios are often overprotective of their trainers." Elise shrugged. "Marcus cannot move his hands… so I assume it is hard for him to defend himself, so Nova needs to defend him."

"He can't use his hands?" Toby's eyes flew wide. "Wow. That must suck."

"If it does suck then he does not show it." Elise leaned her head back with a murmur as she pondered Six's and Nova's interactions. "He instructs her, and she does his physical activity. He needs a door open, she opens it. If he needs something picked up, I assume she picks it up for him." Something clicked, and her eyes flew open. "She's his hands, and he's her brains." She realised.

"What does that mean?"

"The hands are capable of a lot." Elise sat forwards quickly, mind racing. She held her fists out to demonstrate. "Tools. Opening, lifting, moving. They can do all this."

"Okay…"

"But – the hand is also a weapon." Elise's fist swung through the air, making a clubbing motion. "The brain dictates what the hand does… so if the brain isn't working…"

"The hand does nothing?" Toby suggested.

"No – the hand has a life of its own…"

"So… the hand acts randomly?" Toby tried again.

"Yes." Elise nodded slowly. "Six was asleep when Nova attacked you… my god…"

"Um… I'm confused." Toby scratched his head.

"Nova does everything Six tells her to…" Elise explained. "But if Six isn't there to tell her what to do, she's impulsive and can't think…"

"So… she's crazy whenever this "Six" isn't talking to her." Toby crossed his arms. "Six? You mean "Marcus"?"

"Oh…" Elise realised. **Shit! Was his name supposed to be a secret? **Her face turned a little red under Toby's stare.

"Nah, it's okay." Toby waved a hand and sat back. "You've got secrets. Everyone does."

"Really?" Elise raised an eyebrow. "Does that include you?"

"Sure." Toby shrugged with a grin. "But they're not very big secrets… nothing interesting."

"That's an excellent observation, Elise."

The two downstairs spun to the staircase. Again – Six was there. This time, however, no Nova.

"Nova _is_ impulsive. She was raised alongside me, doing whatever I told her. Independent thinking and problem-solving isn't something she had an opportunity to learn. That's why I keep her close, usually."

"Ah – it's Marcus." Toby nodded. "Or, "Six"."

"Are you going to tell everyone my secret codename, Elise?" Six chuckled a little as he walked towards the two. "It's not much of a codename if everyone knows it."

"Where's Nova?" Elise asked as Six sat between them.

"Upstairs." Six glanced upwards briefly, flashing his aura vision to locate her exact position. "She's asleep. I put her to sleep. She needs a rest after everything she's been through lately."

"Yeah." Toby nodded, agreeing. "It's been pretty hectic."

"What are you doing out here?" Six asked suddenly. "Why Sinnoh? You've travelled, right?"

"I have." Toby nodded.

"You have a Sinnoh Pokémon, a Kanto Pokémon, and a Johto Pokémon. I can tell you've had each for a while. You didn't trade any, because you keep your Pokémon close. You wouldn't be able to give up a Pokémon you caught yourself to trade it – so you travel a lot, and caught them on your travels. I see you look out that window at your bike often, so that's your transport. So what are you doing in Sinnoh? And on the border?"

"I'm an adventurer." Toby shrugged. "I was in Sinnoh when… wassiname was assassinated. Kinda got stuck here. And as for right here on the border… I guess this place is kind of neutral…"

"Ah. Neutral." Six nodded slowly. "Not taking sides, then?"

"Nope." Toby shook his head. "Well- if you really want to know, I have parents on either side. The patriotic kind… who are both soldiers…"

"Oh… awkward." Six smiled faintly.

"Yeah." Toby laughed a bit, and nodded back. "They've always been at each other's throats after the divorce, so this kind of works in their favour… me, I'm just staying right out of it."

*Unova region. Somewhere in Entralink (central Unova)*

*10:43 PM*

It was dark.

An ominous wind flowed through the swamp's wretched trees. Their dead, spindly limbs were empty of green, and so no fresh rustle was present to heed the wind's call. Their trunks were wrapped in filth and dank overgrowth, and hid their roots beneath the rancid brown surface of the marsh.

Small hills and patches of dirt rose from the mud and muck, offering meagre footing. Spanning some of these islands, a flaking walkway split the marsh in half. Rotting piles rose from the depths of the murk, and held atop a brace of old planks stretching into the distance. Also rising from the marsh – skulls. Human and Pokémon skulls alive, all atop frail wood spears jutting from the sickly pond. With an eerie blue, they blazed. Beacons lighting a trail alongside the walkway. Blue tongues of flame flickered about them, like the residual aura draining from a dying victim of some terrible demon. Their jaws hung wide open – some split by spears – and gaped in horror at the distance. The wind whistling through their sockets and holes seemed to screech warning at the passing man – but he kept walking.

His bleached grey hair danced in the wind, unable to settle in the gale. Long braids hung behind his head and fell halfway down his back, writhing like grey Ekanses. Behind this, a wide garb swept over the creaky boards and planks of the walkway. It seemed to flow on an invisible barrier, keeping the hem of the silver and blue robe fluttering behind him and keeping it from touching the boards.

He passed a tree. Seemingly a normal tree. He didn't think anything of it, and continued past without a second thought.

In the side of that tree, however, was a knot.

The knotted wood and bark cracked a little. Not loudly, but the man did not hear it. If he did hear it, he ignored it. The knot twisted a little, as if churning backwards to straighten out the mess. It churned and twisted in the side of the tree, and slowly opened up. In the centre, a small vertical split appeared. The split widened outwards a little as the knot continued to churn and twist, and it widened into a small hole.

Then – peeping through the hole – there was an eye. Pitch black pupil, a deep purple iris stalking the man's every step. The eye watched the man pass.

"_Wrong part of town, motherfucker…"_ It hissed, narrowing on the man. Under that eye, a tongue slipped between cold lips, and licked slowly across them.

The eye closed. The hole churned again. It twisted back the other way, and the split closed up again. The wood and bark regrew and retwisted, and closed up the hole as if it had never been there. The tree was normal again.

The man inclined his head a little as a patch of soft gold light emerged in the distance. Much different from the harsh blue burn of the skulls. A tiny square, deep in the bowels of the swamp and cloaked in darkness.

He continued towards it, paying no heed to the simmering and bubbling of the mud alongside the plank.

He should have paid heed.

As the man passed, the bubbling grew more vigorous. The surface boiled and popped and spluttered, frothing outwards and growing a darker colour. Turning purple… The bubbling grew on itself, rising into a stack of frothing and foaming sludge as the man carried on, blissfully unaware of it. It bubbled and boiled and frothed, and something rose from the muck. Sludge and ooze layered it thickly and dripped from it, but it appeared somewhat like the upper torso of a human.

The front of the thing bubbled a little more, and a bubble of sludge quickly grew. When it popped, it made a small, quiet sound. _"You?"_

The entire shape lost integrity, and the shape collapsed back into the muck. The purple splashed outwards across the greenish brown, and quickly sunk under before it was noticed.

As the man's ear twitched as the shape collapsed behind him. He heard the faint splash as it fell again, but told himself to ignore it. He knew who it was.

At last, the shack ahead came into view. A small building. Likely one room. Two windows in the front side, and a door in between. Tin roof. No chimney.

At the front door, a black figure leaned back. His cowl hung down over his eyes, obscuring what little would be visible in the pallid moonlight. The man caught sight of a small piece of fabric covering the figure's mouth and lower nose, thus leaving only his eyes free.

What WAS visible, was the few pieces of metal decorating his body. A thin metallic pauldron sat on his left shoulder, and a much larger one on his right with a spike sticking up as high as his head. A layer of metal sheathed his left arm from elbow to wrist, and his right was encased in a much thicker, heavier-looking gauntlet. Knee guards, shin guards made of metal too. Each gleamed softly in the moonlight.

The figure lifted his head slightly as the man approached. His eyes cast a dim red glow from the depths of his cowl. _"Stop."_

The man stopped. He stood tall, arms at sides and staring into the man's empty pits.

The shadowy figure stood up, pushing lightly off the door. _"Stop."_ He growled, and lifted an armoured hand.

The man inclined his head curiously. "What do-"

"Teraph! STOP!" The man's cowl flicked back as he roared; his wild black hair falling free. His wide crimson eyes burned, flashing bright and cutting through the darkness.

"Teraph-" The man's words froze as he noticed something at his foot. His head slowly and shakily turned downwards.

The moon didn't cast much light, but it cast _just_ enough to make a shadow. The man spotted a shadow wavering at his feet. He turned up just as slowly, still shaking.

A huge boulder hovered not a metre over his head. Huge, grey-brown and dripping muck-water. Around the edges, a mass of thick green vines coiled around it, holding it in place. The vines coiled around each other into one giant super-vine, and disappeared into the marsh to the side of the walkway.

"Fuck!" A pissed-off voice cried. As if it weighed nothing, the boulder was lifted away, and thrown by the vines. It soared up high into the air, arcing towards the distance, and fell back to earth like a meteor. The ground shook slightly as the thing landed, and the marsh in the distance exploded into a wave around the impact point.

The man spun around.

Behind him, a tree began cracking. The branches and limbs of the tree uncurled and twisted around the central trunk, and the tree began unwrapping itself. They all twisted clockwise around the trunk, spreading outwards, and they unfolded. The branches protruded horizontally, leaving the top of the trunk free.

A black-clad hand reached over the top branch, and a figure climbed out of the hollowed-out trunk. Another black figure, clad in similar black clothing, but without the additional armour pieces of the first. A little shorter. A little younger. "What the hell?" He leapt from his tree onto the boardwalk and paced quickly towards the first.

"That's Ghetis, idiot!" The three heads jerked towards the marsh as it bubbled again. The surface broke suddenly, and another black-clad figure rose from underneath. It appeared similar to the second, at first glance… but there was something else.

This one had purple skin.

And no eyes.

"Ghetis…" The second turned back to the man with a thoughtful murmur. "Oh… _that_ Ghetis…"

"Yes, _that_ Ghetis." The third rose from the muck without a step. The swamp just lifted up underneath him, and a pedestal of purple sludge lifted under his feet. The pedestal raised him to the height of the boardwalk and alongside, where he stepped onto it. The sludge immediately fell back into the swamp as his foot broke contact, and landed with a quiet _gloop._ "_That_ Ghetis who we _work for?"_

"Dude, I'm tired." Teraph yawned to illustrate; stretching his arms high. "Fucking Tallon's been playing me _all day_ on soul calibur, and I can't fucking beat him! Fucking bright screen – my eyes are shit now, I can't tell who-"

"Enough banter!" Teraph stopped short as Ghetis rose a hand. Ghetis' eyes scanned between the two in front of him with a murmur as his hand lowered to his side again. "I have a job for you…"

"Oh…" The first raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Really? I thought you were here for the housewarming party." He crossed his arms and glared, unmistakeably presenting his anger, but calmly so. "We have it all ready." His voice emanated sweet sarcasm, almost pleasantly underneath the kilowatts of menace, "Cookies-and-crap ice-cream, shit-dogs, scumburgers, everything you would never eat in _a thousand_ _freakin years!_" His face heated red as he roared his last few words, loosing his cool. "What gives? You stick us out here in the middle of a _swamp?_ _This_ is what you call a reward?"

"I would have preferred a condo on Undella bay…" Teraph mentioned. "Then-"

"Tallon's right." The purple man interrupted, and stepped to his comrade's side. Behind Ghetis, Teraph clenched his fists with a growl. "If the reward for this job's like the reward for last time's job, forget it."

"I already told you." Ghetis growled. "We gave you your rewards – this is simply to keep you a secret from the rest of Unova. Arceus knows what would happen if they found out about you."

"You could have given us a secret condo on Undella bay…" Teraph added unhelpfully. "Tinted windows, deliver food straight to our door so we don't have to go outside, we-"

"We'll set everything right after this." Ghetis cut in. Teraph growled a bit, having been cut off again. As Ghetis continued speaking, he turned and smashed his fist through the boardwalk with a roar. "We have _one_ last job for you." Ghetis reached into his sleeve.

He paused and cringed a little as Teraph's fist connected with the boardwalk.

"He gets cranky." The purple man mentioned.

"Last job." Ghetis drew a small scroll from his sleeve, and offered it in one outstretched hand. Tallon stared at it for a moment – inclining his head – before taking it. He turned it in his hands and unfurled it, reading it briefly.

"Come inside." He rolled it shut before the purple man caught a glance at it.

"What does it say?" Teraph jogged after them as Tallon opened the door and headed in. "Grue? What does it say?"

"I don't know." The purple man shrugged and followed inside. Teraph grunted a bit, and ran after them.

The inside of the shack was sparse, to say the least. A wooden crate in one corner of the room, a table in another, a four messy piles of blankets lying heaped on mattresses… and an Xbox 360 in the middle of the room. Hooked up to a widescreen TV.

In front of the TV, an electabuzz sat on a beanbag with a controller in his hands. He didn't turn as the door opened, and chewed the end of an extension cord in his mouth. The extension cord led to a multi-plug on the ground beside the TV, and then to the TV and Xbox. As he chewed, his cheeks sparked with tiny electrical currents.

Tallon led ahead, and paced to the table in one corner. He placed himself on one side, and rolled the scroll across the table. "Elesie Sha'ar." He stated, placing one finger on the picture on the scroll. "You want us to kill _Elesie_ _Sha'ar_? Why?"

"It's not your job to ask why." Ghetis seated himself opposite, sitting in an office chair like Tallon's. "It's your job to _do._"

"Right, right." Tallon nodded with a sigh.

"Elesie Sha'ar?" Teraph fell to his knees beside the table and stared at the scroll. "I know her. She was on the news. Whole "scandal" thing. She's hot as hell."

"We all know her." Tallon sighed, rolling his eyes. "But you want her dead _now_? Why now? What's she done?"

"She's run away." Ghetis' fingers drummed on the edge of the table as his thoughts were momentarily occupied. "She's up to _something._ I don't know what, but I don't like it. We've already sent a snake… but he hasn't responded. We believe she has killed him. That's where you guys won't fail. The Shadow Triad doesn't fail."

"But… _Elesie Sha'ar?_ She's-"

"We know who she is." Tallon's eyes narrowed irritably.

"She has fled to Sinnoh." Ghetis pointed to a paragraph on the scroll. "She likely hopes that the war will cover her tracks. We hear she's going under the name "Elise"."

"_Sexy_ _name_." Teraph commented.

"So… we're infiltrating a _war_ to kill her…?" Grue shook his head. "Wow, that's pretty nuts."

"Let's cut to the chase." Tallon's voice commanded attention again. "Conditions of assignment, time limitations, reward."

"She has to die." Ghetis stated coldly. "That goes without saying. I don't care how, I just want her dead. You three – your origin is not to be discovered. Tell nobody your true identities. If this comes back to us – if the Shadow Triad is identified as being connected to me – it'll be the end of us. As for time – you have until she does anything drastic. If she reveals any information which is… controversial or harmful, your reward is forfeit. Your reward…" Ghetis grinned a little. "Have you ever heard of Iron island?"

"Of the coast of Sinnoh." Tallon nodded. "What about it?"

"I have the deed to it." Ghetis smiled a bit wider as the three shared excited glances. "You do this for me, and you do it right – it's yours. Your own island. Pokémon to generate power, included, regular resupplies too. Your own little paradise."

"Don't forget bitches." Teraph put a hand up. "Can't stick three guys in paradise without bitches."

"You know –" Grue stepped forwards, "For once, Teraph's right."

"Dick."

"Sorry." Grue chuckled a little. "That was a _little _harsh. But bitches would be nice."

"I'm with the guys on this." Tallon nodded. "We need women. We'd get lonely."

"Fine." Ghetis sighed. "We'll assign each of you three personal women to… look after you."

"I don't want humans." Teraph crossed his arms with a grin. "I want a Lucario."

"Fine." Ghetis frowned a little. "We'll get you the finest Lucario money can buy."

"And a Blaziken." He smiled wider.

"We'll get you a Blaziken." Ghetis sighed.

"I'll have a Gardevoir." Grue put his hand up now, grinning also. "And a Lucario, and a human."

"You guys are perverted." Tallon grunted.

Ghetis mumbled even more. "We'll get you what you-"

"And a Luxray." Teraph's grin grew even wider. So wide, it nearly showed through his mask.

"Aaw, that's a bit messed up." Grue punched him on the shoulder. "At least the other two look like humans, but a Luxray? Non-anthro…"

"They're sexy."

"ENOUGH!" Ghetis leapt to his feet, startling the other three. "We will get you what you want, just get the job done, alright?" He swung his scowl between the men. They appeared unfazed.

Tallon nodded, and leaned across the table with a hand outstretched. "Consider her already dead."

Ghetis took his hand and shook it with a sigh of relief.

"Now get out of here. We have to prepare."

"Very well then." Ghetis nodded. "I will take my leave. You'll find your transport arrangements on that scroll. I trust you won't let me down." He turned on one foot, and he headed for the door. As he headed outside, he heard their parting murmurs:

"_Tallon, why do you always have to act all "business" when Ghetis' around?"_ Teraph.

"_You know what? You're right. Next time, __**I'll**__ act like a dickhead, and __**you**__ can deal with our business end. That's a __**brilliant**__ idea, Teraph!" _Tallon.

"… _shut up…"_

"_Just pack your damn suitcase before I stick a spike up your ass."_

"_He'd enjoy that." _Grue.

"_Fuck you, Grue…"_

"_He'd enjoy that, too."_

"…"

Ghetis sighed and shook his head. It was hard to believe those three were some of the most dangerously powerful people in the world… it took him the memory of Teraph throwing a mammoth boulder into the distance to remind him of that…

*Sinnoh*

The front door creaked gently open. Nova's ears perked up at the sound, but she made no attempt to sit upright. She had felt Six's aura approaching.

"Still awake?" Six pushed the door to the hinge with his foot. He didn't close it fully. He left it open a fraction – like he had found it – so he wouldn't need Nova to turn the doorknob for him when he left.

"_Yeah…"_ Nova nodded weakly. Her paralysis was wearing off, but it still left her lax, and she had no desire to move.

"What's wrong?" Six sat on the bed beside her and lay down on his back.

"_I can't sleep. I'm constantly worried about you…"_ She turned her head to Six with a quiet whimper. He turned to her too, and they stared eye-to-eye. Ice to fire. _"You just… get too close to some people, nowadays. You take risks. You're going to get yourself killed."_

"I do take risks." Six said calmly, rolling onto his side to face Nova. "They make life fun." He shuffled a little closer to Nova, and gently kissed her neck. He savoured the touch of her fur as he kissed her twice more, slowly and gently. He rested his head against her with a content sigh. "Caution may keep me alive. Caution may extend my life – but having fun is what makes that life worth living. A moment of joy is worth far more than full lifetime of nothing. I accept that I'm going to die soon. Within the year – and I can't spend that time doing nothing."

"_Don't say that!"_ Nova jumped a bit, and her arms flung around Six. Six bowed his head with a sad sigh as Nova clung to him closely, and buried her head against his as tears welled in the corners of her eyes. _"Please don't say that… you're not going to die…"_ She sobbed. _"You're not!"_

"I am." He kissed her again – this time on the cheek. "I've accepted it. I should be already – but I'm not. Arceus has been protecting me. As soon as I have finished my mission, he's going to let me die…" His closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Nova. His voice shook a little, bearing regret and guilt: "I started this war, and I'm going to finish it. After that, the best thing for the world is for me to die. Let me die so I can't cause another…"

"_Oh, you're such a fool, Six…"_ Nova shook her head, disagreeing fervently as she still cried and hugged him. _"If anyone kills you, it's going to be you. You're your own worst enemy sometimes… you can't blame yourself for everything."_

"But I do." His lips barely moved as he spoke even quieter. "It's my fault, and I have to take responsibility."

The two of them lay there together, holding and hugging tightly with their heads rested on one another. Nova's fingers gripped Six's shirt in a bunch, shaking and trembling as her body succumbed to impending fear and uncertainty. She just couldn't bear the thought of losing him. They had spent most of their lives together… a world without Six was just… there wasn't anything of importance to her in the vision that conjured. There was nothing worth living for in a world without Six.

Six finally released Nova. He pulled away a little, prompting her to release him, and rolled onto his back. His eyes stared vacantly at the ceiling, reflecting the bleakness in his pale irises. "Do you ever wonder what it would have been like? If we weren't in this position? If we were just regular? If I had a job and a house, you lived with me… if I attended university, maybe? Just… living our life?"

"_I have wondered."_ Nova rolled onto her back also, and stared at the same point on the roof. Their minds merged for a moment, sharing their warming visions of paradise with one another. _"I_ _yearn for it every day… I yearn for it so…"_

"We could sleep in bed until midday." Six smiled a little, imagining Nova's paws wrapped around him and cuddling up in bed.

"_We could take long walks in the park, under the moonlight."_ Nova smiled too as her blissful fantasy broke her worry and anxiety. She imagined the feel of Six's arm draped across her shoulders, and the cool midnight breeze lapping at her fur. The beautiful, infinite void of night surrounding them and the starry skies above twinkling and winking at them.

"Friday nights, we could make love in the afternoon, stay up late and watch movies…"

"_Then make love through the early hours until we pass out..."_ Nova added with a cheeky smile, adding that to her vision.

"Your vision involves significantly more lovemaking than mine." Six chuckled as he explored Nova's entertaining idea of paradise.

"_Would you object?"_ Nova smiled coyly, already knowing his answer.

"Hell no."

"_That's good."_ Nova shuffled a little closer to Six. Her paw landed in his palm at his side, and held it lightly. She removed her eyes from the ceiling and turned them onto Six. _"How about now?"_

"Now?" Six stammered, a little surprised. "I thought we were having one of those moments…?"

"_There's no reason why "a moment" can't end in an hour of shower-sex."_ Nova teased his chin with a claw, chuckling a bit.

"I think I'll pass _this_ time." It took a _lot_ of effort for Six to spit that out, but as he felt Nova's paw drifting to his shoulders, he realised he had to say no before she worked her magic on him and convinced him otherwise. "I'll only have sex with you when I'm in the mood. Otherwise it just won't be special."

"_M'kay."_ Nova shuffled closer, and rested her head on Six's shoulder. _"You're the boss."_

**Until we get to it…** She smirked as she shuffled about a little, settling into Six and the mattress. **Then we'll see who's the boss…**

*Next morning*

"Elise…"

Elise murmured something inaudible to most. Six picked it up. It was incomprehensible anyway.

"Elise…" He repeated wearily. "Wake up…"

Elise murmured something again.

"Grrrrr!" A sharp growl cut the air, immediately next to Elise's face.

"I'm awake!" She lurched from her slumber and leapt from her seat with spontaneous energy. Wobbling dizzily, she smoothed her hair back instinctively as she turned around, taking note of where she had woken up.

Nova stood beside the seat she had dozed off in, still growling slightly. Six stood on the opposite side of the seat and smirked at Elise. In the seat next to that, Toby slowly climbed out of his seat, grumbling.

"What's with all the noise?" He yawned and stretched out.

"We're heading away." Six told Elise. He crossed his arms and nodded to a bag Nova was carrying in one paw. "Head upstairs and pack your stuff. I'll be waiting for you."

"Uh… okay…" Elise scratched her head idly, still coming to terms with her balance and still trying to shrug off her sleepiness. She groaned quietly and stumbled towards the staircase. She caught herself after nearly falling, stood tall, took a deep breath, and strode back into the same confident composure Six had seen the first time they met.

"She's fine." Six commented to Nova. "Very upright."

"_She is…"_ Nova murmured, staring at Elise's ass as she left. _"Makes you wonder…"_

"So, where're you heading?" Toby worked up the nerve to speak.

"Oreburgh." Six lied seamlessly. "A friend of mine lives there."

"That's funny." Toby grunted. "Elise told me you were going to Jubilife…" He inclined his head with an innocent smile. Almost mockingly so. It was a challenging stare. "Which is it?"

Nova let slip a growl, and slid between Six and Toby. _"Just say the word…"_ She balled her fists.

Toby scooted back in his seat, immediately reaching for his pokéballs as his face fell to fear.

"Settle down." Six sighed irritably. "Nova – _again_ with the taking people out? Settle! Please… I think you've scared him enough."

Nova's fists uncurled, but she made it clear – with a loud grunt – that she wasn't happy. _"Very well."_

"Jubilife." Six said finally, returning Toby's glare with equal challenge.

"Jubilife, huh?" Toby smiled smugly. "I got an uncle who lives there."

"Good for you." Six replied coldly. Both parties stared: arms crossed and still. Unmoving. Unbending. They stared silently in a stalemate of sorts, each waiting for the other to make a move.

Toby saw he wasn't getting anywhere. His head dropped, and he broke eye contact. "I need a ride." He sighed, giving up.

"I saw that coming."

"I'm stuck here." He looked up with a hopeless frown. A pitiful, hopeless frown. "I'm not going out there on bike, I don't have a car – I'm stuck in this lodge. Have been for a while…"

"You're a wuss." Six translated. "You're scared of the war, and you've hid in here."

"Yeah…" Toby conceded. "I just don't like the idea of wandering around on my own. I usually travel with a friend of mine, but as soon as the war started, he buggered off to enrol with the west and left me stuck here."

"_Guts for you."_ Nova snorted. _"Six – you aren't really considering this, are you?"_ Her eyes suddenly lit up with concern as she recognised Six's thoughtful stance, and the way he stared at Toby with a murmur. _"You can't be serious…"_

"You can be really short-sighted, Nova." Six said, still staring at Toby. "What can you offer us?"

"I haven't got anything on me…" Toby began; his smile growing slowly. "But I can give you something once we get to Jubilife."

"What?"

"Pokémon." Toby's smile grew as he noticed Six react a little to the word. "My uncle – he runs the day care. He owes me two Pokémon. He promised me them a while ago." Nova's face fell further at the thought of other Pokémon.

"I want young Pokémon." Six stated. "A year old at the oldest. Nothing older." Nova's frown eased a little. Baby Pokémon. Baby Pokémon meant they would grow from a young age with Six. They would grow up as Six raised them, conditioned to be loyal. The same way she was. That was a good thing.

"Done." Toby nodded, and held out a hand.

Six smiled a little, and shook his head. "Seal it, Nova."

Nova stepped across in front of Six. Before Toby could recoil his hand back and ask what she was doing, she grabbed his hand. _"Deal."_ She said coldly, exuding menace and squeezing Toby's hand tightly.

Toby smiled nervously, and tugged his hand free after a second. "Cool."

"We leave in ten." Six told him. "Pack your stuff, then meet me at the car."

And so, we have even MORE questions!

WHO is Elise?

WHAT does she know?

WHO are these three incredibly handsome, awesome and totally-sick-badass fellows called the "Shadow Triad"? *coughs and puts hand up*

WHAT awaits Six, Elise and Toby around the corner (spoiler: another corner. It's a winding road)?

And I still haven't answered most of the questions from parts 1 and 2! So much mystery… how deep will the conspiracies run?

Quite. Quite deep.

Paul – I know I said no at first to the name you suggested, but as I thought about it the name really grue on me. (see what I did there?) It's actually _really _clever. It's even an anagram for "Rueg", it's a letter short of "gruel" and it sounds like "goo". When I thought about it, it was so well thought of that I couldn't _not_ use it. That's really clever of you, so well done. *claps*

_ out!_


	4. Desper4te measures

Insert disclaimer…

here

Insert random stuff…

here

"_Telepathy." Or emphasis._

**Character thought.**

_**SUPA-EMPHASIS! Or telepathic emphasis.**_ _**Or if I'm yelling at you for plagiarism…**_

Insert story… below

[/ LETHAL VECTOR \\\\\\\\\\]

[4: Desper4te measures]

Nova stepped across in front of Six. Before Toby could recoil his hand back and ask what she was doing, she grabbed his hand. _"Deal."_ She said coldly, exuding menace and squeezing Toby's hand tightly.

Toby smiled nervously, and tugged his hand free after a second. "Cool."

"We leave in ten." Six told him. "Pack your stuff, then meet me at the car."

*1 hour later*

Nova hummed quietly alongside the car stereo, bobbing her head slightly with the beat. Six hummed alongside – the pair of them head-banging in unison as they glanced out their windows.

In the front passenger seat, Toby sat with Hanas in his lap. She stood with her paws on the windowsill, staring out the window in awe at the sheer drop just to the right of them. Beside her, Ryus stood on Toby's knee and stared similarly.

"A nice view." Elise commented, but remained focussed on driving. Navigating treacherous winding roads was something which tended to require focus. "Is it just my experience, or does the word "vista" accompany danger? A flower garden is calm and safe, and a scene, but a mountain range is wild and untamed and treacherous, and so a vista. Beauty and danger as one. The raging seas – so deep and mysterious, yet cruel and cold. The pristine valleys and mountains of Mount Coronet – glowing and silver-white, yet centred within sheer drops and the region's landslide zone. There's something… special, about dangerous beauty…"

"_Thank you."_ Nova chuckled. Elise heard Nova's reply clearly, and couldn't help but laugh a little herself. However cold Nova had been to her, her laugh was a melodious sound. It stimulated the ears and the mind, piercing through sound and telepathy alike.

"You are most welcome." She added pleasantly.

Nova smiled a little, and grunted, then fell back into her seat. Six smiled a little at her, and nudged her softly on the arm. "I knew you'd warm up eventually."

"_Oh, please."_ Nova rolled her eyes. _"You of all people know I'm not a total bitch all the time to everyone."_

"I do." Six nodded. He leaned across, and planted a short kiss just beneath Nova's ear. "But it's nice to see you can ease up when you're able."

"_I was thinking about what you said last night."_ Nova admitted finally. She kept her transmission private with Six. _"About having fun while we still have lives to live, and about being cautious…"_

"_And…?"_ Six responded, also through telepathy to give Nova a little privacy.

"_And I realised I've been doing too much of the latter. I haven't really had fun lately, because I've been too hostile…"_ She glanced up at the back of Elise's seat. _"But you have to see where I'm coming from. You aren't exactly too capable of defending yourself…"_

"_Ahem?"_ Six jerked a little.

"_From Pokémon." _Nova added quickly. _"I mean- sure, you took out that snake, but if I hadn't intervened and stopped those Pokémon, what would have happened?"_

"_I would have died."_

"_Exactly."_ Nova smiled softly. Six _did _understand how serious her situation was. _"You can't really defend yourself, or look after yourself with your hands the way they are – and that's why I have to stay vigilant, be prepared, stick close and be careful. __**I **__have to be there to react as quickly as you could if your hands worked…"_

"_But…?"_

"_But sometimes, you don't need me that close… do you?"_

"_You're beginning to understand."_ Six smiled.

"_I'll try, Six."_ She hung her head with another sigh. _"I'll try and settle down when I think I can… spread my time out between being careful and having fun…"_

"_Is that all?"_ Six nudged her lightly. He knew when she was holding out on him.

"_I've been thinking of our childhood."_ She went on. _"When we first met… it made me really think…"_

"_We didn't exactly get along back then…"_ Six smiled fondly at the memory of Nova as a Riolu. Somewhat more fondly at the memory of her laying into him when they first met.

"_We didn't…"_ Nova agreed, sharing in the memory. _"It got me thinking. I gave you a chance to show me you were trustworthy, way back then – and look where we are today. I owe Elise at least a chance…"_

"_Thank you."_ Six extended finger of aura, and brushed it against Nova. She squirmed a little in her seat at the touch, giggling a bit.

She settled back into her seat after a moment, and set her shoulders back. She loosed a heavy exhalation and dedicated a moment to calming herself down, then opened a private link with Elise. _"Elise – don't say anything."_ She said. Elise jerked upright a little at the surprise voice.

"What's up?" Toby noticed her jerk.

"Nothing." Elise dismissed him. "A muscle spasm. Don't mind me."

"_I wish to apologize."_ Nova continued once Elise stopped speaking. _"I really shouldn't have acted like that. Attacking you in the middle of the night was a little harsh on my part…"_ Elise nodded ever-so-slightly, smiling faintly. _"Six means __**a lot**__ to me, and I just don't want him hurt. We've been betrayed before, so I still don't trust you…"_ Elise's smile fell again. _"But, I'm willing to give you a chance to show me I can trust you. I just hope you can understand why I have to act like this toward you. It's nothing personal – just Six's safety."_ Elise smiled again. _"You seem like a nice girl so I __**really**__ hope you have a logical reason for having that bounty notice in your pocket. A reason that won't make me angry…"_

Elise murmured a little at that. She _did _have a good reason, but she wasn't sure if Nova would believe her. Her reason, of course, was simple curiosity. She had found it pinned to a noticeboard in Snowpoint. The huge bounty up the top immediately drew her attention, so she took it.

It was _still_ the focus of her curiosity. Why such a huge price on his head? Six was a cripple. He couldn't move his hands. He seemed to have limited aura powers, but aura sight was becoming a common thing nowadays. With the excessive prevalence of Lucarios appearing through all regions, trainers bonded with Lucarios often developed aura powers – so Six's aura was nothing too special. He _was_, however, very quick. As she had seen when the snake had tied her up and Six had killed him, his footwork was divine, and his reaction speed instant. But it still didn't make sense to have such a high bounty. That left two options open. The first: He knew something that somebody didn't want him to know. The second: He had done something to the wrong person. Judging by what he yesterday about having done "something really bad", this was the obvious choice – though Elise didn't rule the first option out, either…

*Forty three minutes later. Sinnoh Region.*

"Hamish!"

"Hhmm?" The manager glanced up as a young man came rushing towards him, gripping a plastic bag in his hands.

"You remember…" The boy paused, catching his breath and wheezing, "you thought you heard noises upstairs… last night?"

"Yeah…" Hamish nodded. "They woke me up. What was it?"

"There was a battle up there!" The boy squeaked breathlessly. His lungs still burned after rushing down, having discovering the scene. "A wall's smashed, part of the floor in one room's scorched, and there's a big freakin' hole in the roof!"

"What?" Hamish leapt up, disbelieving his ears.

"They left this…" He lifted the bag and dropped it onto the counter. Wads of cash immediately spilled from the top and fell across the counter. "Those people… Marcus and Elise. They left an apology note, and the money to repair the damages…"

"Oh, Arceus…" Hamish dropped back into his chair and slapped a hand across his eyes. "Oh, sweet Arceus… how am I going to get a repairman in the middle of a war?"

"They left early this morning." The boy continued. "Peter Kirk said he saw them leaving. They went with Toby…"

"Toby?" Hamish jerked upright suddenly. "Toby's gone? But he's been here for months!"

"Turns out he was looking for a ride out." The boy smiled painfully.

"Huh… and here I was thinking he just stayed because he enjoyed my company…" Hamish chuckled lightly. "Huh… all right then."

"Those guys are bad news." The boy continued. "They show up first – nek minnit, there's that creepy guy in the overcoat with the shades. _Then_ his Lucario shows up, growling at everyone, then bolts upstairs, and _then_ the military?"

"His Lucario must have been following him…" Hamish added after a moment of thought. "That part didn't surprise me. As for the military…" He glanced into the lounge. The four remaining soldiers – the two previously wounded and the two who survived the fight – sat around the fireplace drinking cocoa. "They pass here often, but leave us be. They only showed up because they needed a place for their friends to heal up. But the guy in the overcoat…" Hamish's eyes flew wide open. "Wait – did he ever come downstairs?"

"None of us has seen him since, so he must have come down at some-" The door clicked open.

The boy gulped a little. **Here comes more trouble.**

A black cowl hung over his forehead, casting a shadow across his eyes. Below that, his mouth was invisible. As he strode into the room, leaving the door wide behind him, the ceiling light glanced off his armoured plates.

"I'm looking for someone." He lifted his head a little. Hamish froze as their eyes met. His red, glowing eyes bore into his skull, blazing ferociously. "Tall female. Dark green hair. Unovan accent which may be disguised. Ranger uniform. Where is she?" His own voice was distinctly Unovan.

"Haven't seen her." Hamish kept his cool, and returned to his seat. The other boy's face flushed, and he quickly walked away in the opposite direction. "Is she supposed to be staying here?"

"I don't play your games, old man." Tallon strode towards the counter, glowering coldly. "I know you're lying to me. Your aura leapt and cringes in fear every time you lie." In a second, he was leaning across the bar, face-to-face. His rancid breath seethed through his teeth as he bore them with a growl. "Where is she?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Hamish fell backwards off his seat with a cry of fear, and quickly scuttled backwards. Tallon growled louder, and leapt across the counter in pursuit.

"WHERE IS SHE?"

"Hey!" Tallon spun as the boy cried out. "Dickhead! If-"

"I-" Tallon threw an arm at the boy. The boy screamed briefly as a flash of silver split the air, but the thing sunk itself into his throat, cutting him short. "- wasn't talking to you." The boy gurgled loudly as he staggered backwards. His eyes and mouth were wide, and his hands pawed frantically at the metal spike stuck through his neck as blood welled around the wound. He fell into a table behind him and collapsed with a squeak, banging his head on the edge.

He lay still.

"ShIt! SHIT SHIT SHIT!" Hamish scooted away, screaming at the offender.

"Tell me what I want to know!" Tallon roared. "Or I'll get someone who can make you talk…"

"Thunderbolt!"

Sensing the order before it came, Tallon spun around before the soldier had even instructed his Pokémon. His palm opened, and flashed silver. A tiny glowing ball appeared in his palm. The glow quickly subsided, and the ball was polished, silver metal. As Tallon raised his arm high in the air, the ball contorted, and expanded. The top and bottom expanded quickly, and in a second the thing had formed a four-foot long steel javelin.

Tallon swung his arm down just as the Pikachu fired. The javelin cracked cleanly though the carpet and cleanly through the floorboards. The end was so fine and sharp, it speared straight through without cracking the boards.

He stepped back as the air crackled and sparked, and a searing bold of lightning shot towards him. The lightning immediately arced for the javelin, and struck it. The jolt of electricity shot down the shaft of the spear, and disappeared harmlessly into the ground below. The spear had acted as a lightning rod, and absorbed the attack.

"You want a fight, huh?" Tallon smirked cruelly. "Well I have a friend who's _dying _for a fight." He lifted a hand to his ear, and placed two fingers on the button of a comm headset. "Grue. Drop him."

"_Dropping the bomb."_

"_Oh, very funny. Is that a fat joke? I'm not-"_ The second voice disappeared.

Tallon lowered his arm, smiling wider. "Say hello to my little friend."

The roof exploded. Boards exploded into a rain of fragments, then the floor beneath exploded into a cloud of dust, dirt and splinters. A chorus of screams and shouts rose briefly from the room, but all they were all drowned out by a mighty earth-shaking bellow:

"HERE'S TERAPH!"

Vines whirled through the air, briefly throwing up a gust and clearing aside the dust and rubble.

The room was wrecked. Rocks and dirt clumps lay everywhere, furniture was smashed and torn to pieces by the rocks, the ceiling had a huge gaping hole through it and was crumbling, and in the centre of the room, a small crater left another huge hole in the floor. The soldiers and Pikachu who were previously standing where the crater was, were not to be seen.

And standing above this crater, held in the air by a pair of vines wrapped around his ankles and supporting him– was Teraph.

"Non-lethal takedowns." Tallon ordered as the trainers form the now-wrecked lounge climbed to their feet and reached for their pokéballs.

"Aaw, killjoy." Teraph grunted. His eyes narrowed, and snapped quickly from trainer-to-trainer as they released their Pokémon. Seven trainers, nine Pokémon between them. A Sneasel, a Croagunk, a Quagsire, two Lucarios, a Skuntank, an Aipom, a Cranidos and a Staravia. Nine Pokémon. "Nine on one?" He scoffed, "That's a bit unfair. You're gonna want more than that to take me down."

"Damn this freak's cocky!" One trainer growled as his Lucarios moved into battle position. The Pokémon all glanced about momentarily, taking a second to deduce what was going on.

"Whenever you're ready." Teraph held a hand up, making a "bring it on" gesture. He took no note of the Pokémon around him. They were enemies. What type of enemies didn't matter. They just had to be taken down.

"Bullet punch!" The same trainer called to both his Pokémon.

"Doubleslap!" The Aipom's trainer called.

Both Lucarios glanced at each other with simultaneous nods. They disappeared in a pair of silver flashes, and lunged at Teraph. The Aipom let the Lucarios move first, then leapt at Teraph from behind.

What happened next was the real shocker.

Teraph drew his arm back, and swung a punch. Not a particularly special punch. Not an elemental punch. He just swung his fist in a wide arc in the general direction of the Lucarios.

A pair of cataclysmic _booms _ripped through the room as his attack connected twice. Two blue blurs were launched away from Teraph, and smashed through the exterior wall of the lodge. He wasted no time, uncurled one vine from one leg and immediately lashed out backwards with a kick at the Aipom. The small Pokémon let out a sharp squeak of pain, before it was launched away and thrown into the wall behind it. It's head hit with a sharp crack, and it fell unconscious to the floor.

"Non-lethal takedowns." Teraph sighed as the trainers stared in awe. "Suck so hard…" He swung his arms out at his sides. His fists clenched momentarily as he focussed his energy, and formed a handful of small objects in each palm. The vines tied around his legs twisted around. His body spun around 360 degrees in the air as he was thrown upwards, and he threw his arms to his sides, tossing handfuls of small seeds all around.

The room exploded into dust again. Or what seemed like dust at first… Random clouds of "dust" burst from the floor where the seeds hit, instantly erupting into clouds of pale yellow gas.

"The hell?" One trainer yelled in an intermission of his coughing fit.

"AH! What is this stuff!" Another called – and immediately fell back into a fit of wild coughing as she tried to unclog her throat. She lurched forwards with an exceptionally painful splutter, landing on her hands and knees.

Tallon stood at a safe distance, watching with his arms crossed and a silent expression. The entire room collapsed to their knees, breaking into uncontrollable spluttering and choking. One-by-one, their gagging stopped eventually, and trainer and Pokémon alike collapsed quietly to the floor without a sound.

The floor beside him cracked a little. The boards lifted away a bit, twisting and bending upwards, then snapped upwards. Teraph rose from the hole in the floor, lifted by a rising pile of dirt underneath him. The top of the dirt mound spilled out the hole and onto the floor around him.

"Sleep powder spores." He explained, stepping off the dirt and onto the floor. "Mixed with a _tinge_ of poison gas, for the gagging effect. Non-lethal, but they won't be getting up anytime soon." He winced as a hand smacked him upside the head.

"We needed them awake, dipshit!" Grue growled, appearing from behind. "How are they going to answer our questions now?"

"Nobody told me that…" Teraph shoved his hands into his waistband and looked down. **You could have mentioned that to begin with…**

"It doesn't matter." Tallon strode towards the petrified managed. He grabbed him by the collar, and hoisted him to his feet. "We have this guy."

"I don't know anything…" He bawled as Tallon dragged him through the front doorway and into the outside world.

"You know something!" Tallon snapped, silencing the man with a growl. He dragged the man outside into the carpark, and threw him to the pavement. "Teraph."

"Ye' baws?"

"Those trainers. We don't need them anymore." Ferice glanced over his shoulder to see Teraph's face light up with absolute joy.

"Did Ghetis have any policies against collateral damage?"

Tallon laughed a bit now. He saw it coming all along, but there was something about that "collateral damage?" smile that got to him. "Knock yourself out." He picked up the manager from the ground, and held him up to face his lodge. The man didn't even bother to struggle. He saw what these people were capable of.

Teraph cracked his hands leisurely as he swaggered towards the building. He stopped ten metres from it, and placed his feet apart on the pavement.

"You should have answered me truthfully." Tallon advised the manager as Teraph lowered his hands to his sides and crouched, building energy. "Then we wouldn't have had to do this."

First it was just a crack. The pavement around Teraph's feet cracked, splitting the surface. The cracks extended further now, and a low rumbling sounded from somewhere beneath them as hazy light shone from the cracks. Pure power radiating from the ground beneath, and escaping through the crevices. Teraph's brow furrowed and his fists tightened as he stared intently at the building, continuously firing pulses of energy through his feet and into the ground.

It took a few seconds for it to start. But once it started – it _started._

The manager swung his gaze to his feet with shock and terror as the ground began vibrating. Shock after shock beat through the ground and up his legs as the earth below was distorted. The mountains boomed and roared as rocks were shaken free by the tremendous shaking, and hurtled down the mountainside. The valley moaned as the vibrations travelled up from the bottom, bouncing off the sides and emerging as a labouring call at the top.

It was an earthquake.

Around the outside of the lodge, the ground exploded. The rocky terrain uprooted: tossing and churning and rolling and breaking. Each pulse of energy fired struck the ground with more and more force, breaking the terrain down into smaller and smaller pieces. The walls of the building quickly gave way. They bend inwards and outwards with snapping and cracking as gravity bore on them with nothing stable to support them beneath. In a second after, the tin roof came crashing down with an almighty rattling. It crashed and buckled and fell inwards. The roof crashed onto the second story, and the second story then collapsed onto the first, whipping up a storm of dust.

Hamish's eyes stung. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes as his home crumbled before his eyes. The place his parents had bought him. The place he had raised his own children. The place he had housed trainers for them to recover. His slice of heaven, untouched by war… He fell limp. His will to stand no longer existed, and he fell limp.

Tallon held his arms under the man's armpits and held him up. He shoved a hand under his neck and jerked his head back up to look. "Watch…" He growled.

The ground broke and disintegrated further and further. The pile of crushed wood and plaster –which was once a building – was slowly sinking into the ground. Around the base of the building, the ground had disintegrated into a stone powder as fine as sand. The weight of the crushed building sunk into the sand.

Beneath the building, the sand parted outwards. The sand rose from the middle and flowed up to the outside, forming a whirlpool-shaped sand-trap. The centre of the building fell inwards into the bottom of the sand whirlpool, slowly turning and spinning around the outside. The outsides of the building fell into the centre as it was engulfed, and slowly swallowed beneath the ground. Everything was sucked into the centre of the whirlpool, and within the minute it was all devoured by the ravenous earth.

Teraph fell forwards as soon as the whirlpool stopped spinning. He fell to his knees and his fists slammed into the ground. His entire body shook as he panted heavily, fighting the massive draw of strength. His head hung to the ground as he willed himself to lift it.

He glanced up after a moment of panting. The lodge was gone. Not a trace of its existence, save a single board poking from the surface of the sand. A painful grin broke his lips as he marvelled at his handiwork.

"Need a hand?"

"Huh?" He glanced over his shoulder. Grue knelt beside him, holding one hand out. Teraph nodded a little, and took the invitation. Grue hauled him to his feet, quickly wrapping an arm around his back to steady him as he stumbled a bit. "Damn mountain rock…" Teraph muttered through gritted teeth. "Hard shit. Takes a lot to break it…"

"This is what happens when we don't get what we want." Tallon added darkly. Hamish still hung in his arms, seemingly devoid of life. "Now – I'm going to ask again…" He raised a hand and snapped his fingers.

Teraph lifted his head at the sound. "Yeah… I'm on it…" He groaned. He lifted one hand, and a single vine emerged from the ground in front of him. The vine shot towards Hamish and wrapped around his ankles, and lifted him up off the ground. Hamish didn't make a sound as he hung upside down. His arms hung limply beside his head, and his tears dripped down his brow with a soft snivelling.

Grue strode toward Hamish. He stopped beside him at a distance, and sat down. He looked up, facing Hamish in the eyes.

Only now Hamish saw. His skin was purple, and he had no eyes.

At the top of his head, Grue's purple skin began folding down. The purple membrane pulled away at the top of his head, and peeled down, revealing a pearly white skull beneath. As the skin over his eye sockets pulled away, it revealed a skull filled with purple ooze. The ooze too emptied as his skin peeled away.

Around him on the ground, ooze flowed from the hems of his outfit. The ooze surrounding the skeleton and bones inside the suit drained away into a puddle around him. As the ooze left the skull, it suddenly fell limp with nothing to support it. Then, the torso and arms fell limp as the ooze coating them flowed away and into the puddle. Soon, it was just a dressed skeleton in a pile of purple slime.

The puddle rolled across the ground now, away from the skeleton. It flowed across the ground, and spread itself out underneath Hamish's dangling body.

"Here's the deal." Tallon said coldly. He flicked his arm to the side, transforming his forearm into a long, thin metal blade. He drew the blade alongside the vine holding Hamish hanging, but halted it a centimetre away. "Beneath you is Grue. By now, he has transformed his entire body into an incredibly powerful acid…"

Hamish's body jumped a little at that. His head jerked to face Tallon. His face had paled to nearly white now. It was totally stricken by fear.

"I'm going to ask you the same question again, and you're going to-"

"They left…" Hamish sniffed.

"_They?_" Tallon moved his blade away a little. Just enough to give Hamish a little reassurance to think clearly.

"A guy named Marcus, a girl named Elise, and a Lucario. They left about an hour ago…"

"Which way?"

"I don't know…" Hamish sobbed fearfully. "I was asleep. That's all I know…"

"I see…" Tallon's brow furrowed.

"Please… let me go…" Hamish bawled, pleading whole-heartedly and looking into Tallon's eyes. "Please let me go… I've told you all I know…"

Tallon leaned across the acid a little, and whispered. _"I never said I'd let you go."_ Hamish ceased up. _"But I'll make it quick."_ Tallon spun away. As he turned, he swung his blade through the air, and cleaved cleanly through Hamish's neck.

The man's head fell into the goo below. The sludge quickly lifted overtop and engulfed it, wrapping around it.

Tallon scooped his hands under the clothed skeleton Grue had occupied earlier. He lifted it and carried it towards a second skeleton at the edge of the parking lot. A large bird Pokémon of some kind.

The pile of goo flowed past him as he walked, and moved for the skeleton. As it connected, the ooze climbed up the skeleton's leg. It formed around the bone and grew up it, moving from the leg up. The ooze climbed to the rib cage, and spread across the bones, forming a purple membrane across them. The inside of the ribs filled with purple ooze, transforming to form artificial organs and muscles and nerves. The ooze spread across the wings, and grew into a thin membrane spanning them. It grew up the neck, filling vertebrae and forming around them, and finally, enclosing the head.

It only took a matter of seconds. Grue was now a purple Fearow.

Tallon placed the skeleton beside Grue, and threw a leg over his back and saddled him. As Teraph approached, a block of rock lifted out under his back foot, propelling him into the air and onto the Fearow's back also (Think Avatar. Earthbenders.).

Grue wrapped his talons around the human skeleton before setting off – securing his other host body. Gripping an arm and a leg, one in each talon, he threw his wings down, and launched himself into the air.

"There are a few aura signatures leaving this place." Tallon called over the mighty beating of wings. "The two freshest go in different directions, so we have a fifty-fifty chance of finding our target.."

"Let's go south!" Teraph punched the air enthusiastically, gripping hold of the ooze with his free hand.

"Why?"

"Why not?" He shrugged. "Fifty-fifty chance, right?"

"You want to go south?" Tallon raised an eyebrow sceptically.

"Yeah…"

"Grue?" Tallon grinned teasingly.

"Yeah?"

"Go north."

Teraph frowned. "Douchebag."

"Looks like our little friend has made a lot of enemies." A man commented, lowering his high-power binoculars. He stood at the lip of the cliff on the west side of the valley, opposite the action on the other side.

"He sure has." Another growled, watching the trio leave on their Fearow. "Fawce. You can stop now."

"_Kay."_ Behind him, a Lucario stood with his paws raised over his head, glowing with aura. He lowered them and dissipated the aura on command, wriggling his fingers a little. The aura cloak hiding them faded away.

"We all saw that, right?" The Lucario's owner lifted his binoculars again.

Five other heads nodded. Four other humans and his Lucario. Each of the humans wore a black suit of civilian clothing. Fawce simply wore a pair of grey slacks, decorated with a small "TimeXpace" logo on one thigh. Nothing covered his torso; his chest spike was proudly visible.

"That was freakish." Another lifted his binoculars too, re-examining the site. He still couldn't quite believe what had just happened. First a Fearow dropping a man onto a building from way up in the sky, then the Fearow seemed to have… died, and reformed as a human, and then entire building just swallowed up into the ground, and the Fearow skeleton coming to life again and flying off.

"_The first one… the one with armour…"_ The men turned to Fawce as he watched the bird in the distance. _"He has aura. Powerful aura…"_

"They're none of our concern right now." The owner interrupted sharply. "Fawce, do you know where he went?"

"_I do."_ The Lucario nodded distantly. He gazed at the horizon for a second longer before turning and locating the trail of aura on the road opposite. _"I remember… in Snowpoint he brushed past that pillar. I picked up his aura signature from that."_'

"Which way?"

"_South."_

*South. (Even _I'm_ right sometimes…)*

Elise's fingers drummed nervously on the steering wheel. Her eyes remained focussed on one guardrail at the corner ahead. One pinpoint spot to focus on while she waited.

The car didn't move. The engine was silent, and the wheels still. The road ahead curved around the next bend, and wound out of sight.

Six sat in the back, making not a sound. His eyes held shut and his head hung, attuning himself to the world around him. The wind whistling past, the snow flurries curling through the currents, the aura of the world twitching and writhing with life. Beside him, Nova did similar, sharing a mental link with him.

"Okay – I give up." Toby sighed after a minute of silence. "What are they doing?"

"Aura stuff." Six said without a movement. He forwent most physical movement in favour of projecting his aura body ahead. Everything numb, except the mind.

"_So shut up."_ Nova added.

Toby huffed in annoyance and fell back into his seat. He glanced across at Elise, but she offered no support. She seemed fine with the wait, and looked to be in a similar state of thought, staring blandly ahead. Her eyes remained perfectly still. Long, luscious eyelashes hovering statically above.

"(He's staring at her again.)" Hanas giggled, rolling on Toby's lap with a purr. She stopped on her back and smiled up at him, but he was still staring.

"(He's a teenage boy. That's what they do.)" Ryus muttered. He watched ahead similarly to Elise, waiting for something out of the ordinary to happen. His eyes too were still.

"There's a checkpoint ahead." Six's eyes flicked open and he lifted his head; bringing himself crashing back into the physical world. He glared at the distance, frowning. "West Sinnoh. Two hundred metres ahead. Nine humans, eighteen Pokémon. A thick barrier across the road which can be lifted and lowered."

"So what's the plan?" Elise asked. She still stared ahead as she visualised Six's evaluation. She somehow knew what was to come next wasn't going to be peaceful.

"The barrier's locked into place on either side by two clamps." Six observed. "The clamps support the barrier evenly, dividing half of any incoming force into each. It's too strong for us to break through the barrier…"

"But?"

"But the clamps themselves are weaker." He said. "If we could make a break in the barrier somewhere, and ram it, then the barrier would break the clamps. Without the barrier being connected on both ends, the impact force would be diverted entirely to _one_ clamp, and that would snap the barrier free."

"Wait – what's all this about "breaking"?" Toby cut in, sounding concerned. "Why don't we just pull up? Why would they not let us through? We're not –"

"You don't _still _think my bounty was because I skipped on a court date?" Six shook his head sadly. "I thought you were smarter than that…"

"I knew you were bullshitting me…" Toby grunted. That was his only defence, and the only way he could deflect the question.

"We're smashing through." Six decided.

"We could just go around-" Toby suggested, but Elise – of all people – interrupted him.

"Sometimes you just have to man up and live dangerously." Her face thinned into a sly grin, and her eyes captured a twinkle of excitement. "Take a chance and be a little wild. That's how I get my kicks, anyway."

"_Whoah."_ Nova's eyes flew open. _"Did you __**actually**__ just say that?"_

"Mm-hmm. I did." Elise chuckled a little. "I know how to have fun when I want to." She draped an arm over her seat and glanced over her shoulder. "So what's happening?"

"I like your enthusiasm." Six smiled a bit. "We need a roster. All the Pokémon we have on us."

"Deli!" Jobey leapt from Toby's feet and onto his knee with Ryus. He stepped onto the console between the front seats and saluted readily.

"Yeah, there's Jobey…" Toby nodded unsurely. "Hanas – Luxio, and Ryus my Cubone…"

"I have my Volcarona." Elise added, also nodding. "A Zoroark and two Emolga."

Six's attention was suddenly grabbed at the mention of "Zoroark". "You have a Zoroark?"

Elise's smile dropped a little at Six's reaction. "Yes. Is that a problem?"

"No… but… a Zoroark _and_ a Volcarona?" He inclined his head a little, his smile spreading as he dug something up from memory. "You have a Duskbreaker."

"A what?" Elise recoiled a little too much. She overplayed her reaction slightly.

"Don't lie to me. You have a Duskbreaker, don't you?"

"Um… Toby is confused…" Toby put a hand up, glancing about for an answer. "What's a "Duskbreaker"?"

"A Duskbreaker –" Six directed Elise an accusing glare. She had already turned around and was looking away out her window in embarassment, going a little red. " – is the term used to describe the combination of a Volcarona and a Zoroark. They are connected through implants. The Volcarona flies into the Zoroarks hair and hides there. It holds the Zoroark's body and its wings emerge through the hair, giving the Zoroark flight capabilities. The Duskbreaker also _happens_ to be the symbolic Pokémon combination favoured by the Unovan royal guard…"

"What?" Toby stared at Elise, gaping in shock. "You're a _soldier?_ From _Unova?"_

"_Royal guard, idiot. Not soldier."_ Nova grunted. Elise still remained still, staring out the window motionlessly as her secret was revealed. "_The royal guard are the elite of Unovan soldiers. They are the personal bodyguards of king N, and his advisors."_

"That's right." Elise sighed and turned back. "I'm a member of the royal guard. But something happened…" She balled her fists slightly, pausing, "and now I'm running away."

"What-"

"_It's a personal thing, you dope!"_ Nova cut in before Toby finished his sentence. _"Don't pester people."_

"It doesn't matter." Six called, bringing back the conversation. "A Zoroark, a Volcarona, two Emolga, a Delibird, a Luxio, a Cubone and Nova. Now, all we need is something to break that barrier…"

"Bone?" Ryus appeared on the console behind Jobey. He held his bone over his head and cocked his head questioningly.

"I don't think that's going to be big enough…" Six added reluctantly. He didn't like to crush a Pokémon's enthusiasm, but it wasn't going to work.

"Ubone?" Ryus smirked a little under his skull helmet. He stepped back a little, and wiggled his bone a little. On command the thing began glowing. The bone was engulfed in a bright, white light. And it began expanding. One end grew a little further and thickened a bit, forming some kind of handle, while the other end grew exponentially and flattened out, tapering to a sharp spike at the end. It only took a second. As the glow faded again, Ryus was holding a massive bone sword.

"Holey…" Elise's jaw dropped. The thing was bigger than Ryus was! It was nearly as long as Six was tall, and held by a tiny Cubone barely one sixth of its size.

Six raised an eyebrow. "That might just do it…"

"Just relax…" Six called, both physically and through telepathy.

Atop the car, a Zoroark sat cross-legged. A pair of large orange wings sprouted from his hair, where the Volcarona hid beneath. The Pokémon nodded slowly, and drew a deep breath through his nose. Beside him, Ryus did similar, listening to the lingering voice echoing in his mind. He held his eyes closed gently, and attuned himself to the feel of the blistering mountain wind blustering past.

"Hearme_…"_ Six called softly. _"Feel me…"_ His voice penetrated the deepest reaches of the psyche. _"See what I show you… feel what I show you…"_

All three Pokémon nodded exactly once and in perfect synchronisation. Their heads lifted and fell simultaneously, and stopped at the exact same moment. They could feel it. They could all feel it growing in them. None were sure what it was – but their trainers had instructed them to listen to Six. They would.

"_My name is Six…"_ The words slipped in through their ears as sound, but then they dissipated into aura and swirled around their minds like an ominous fog: lingering and ringing from the inside out, as if pertaining from their own beings. _"My name is six. I am an assassin, once member to a secret sect of aura masters known as the "vectors"."_ The Pokémon let his words flow into them. They didn't flinch or react to his speech – they simply took it in. they took it to heart, and let him continue. They lusted for the deep contact with which he touched them. _"We vectors are the most powerful beings on the face of the earth."_

In the car, Six's eyes flashed open. Their icy silver irises ignited, and blazed with a fierce azure.

"_I'm about to show you why."_ He drew in a powerful breath, harnessing every impulse of aura contained within and streaming it through his. He took hold of the force behind every breath and streamed it to the Pokémon on the roof. _"Open your eyes. Anew…"_

On the roof, the Pokémon all opened their eyes.

Elise's Zoroark gasped – the loudest.

"_What do you see? What do you feel?"_ Six's voice barely touched his mind. He was so overwhelmed he barely noticed.

"_Everything…"_ He gasped. _"I see… everything…"_

He felt it. He felt everything. The air enclosed him, thick as water with aura. He felt every sweep and brush of energy against his. He saw everything. Ahead, a snowflake twirled and spiralled in the wind. He knew its shape. He knew every ridge and jut and spike and bump and titbit of the thing. He knew where it had been – remembering the wind pattern and gauging its aura, he knew where it was going to land – the wind and its shape and a million other variables told him the exact spot. He knew its temperature, he knew its exact colour. He knew it inside and out.

Then there were more. Thousands upon thousands of snowflakes whirling and twisting all around, each uniquely shaped and tempered and distinctly blown about. He knew every single little minute detail of every flake surrounding him, and he knew it all at the same time. He knew he shouldn't be able to comprehend what he was seeing. He knew the overload of information should have fried his mind. But it just… didn't. He saw everything. Trajectories, speeds, distances, everything.

A rock tumbled from a nearby bank. Instantly he knew it from every angle. He knew exactly the moment it would hit the ground. He knew exactly where it would hit, which side it would land on, where it would bounce and how high, which points would contact the ground and where, and where it would eventually come to rest. He knew the exact composition of elements inside the rock. He knew the exact shape. He ever knew the brownish path on the opposite side, where he couldn't see. He saw everything there was to see from every angle, from outside-in and from inside-out.

He felt the car beneath him, and instantly he knew everything. He felt every scratch on the bodywork, ever notch or bump in the chassis; he felt the internal mechanisms and their condition and everything – even the fuel level. He knew the back window had a hairline crack in it; the passenger window roller was stiffer than the driver, the driver side lock locked a little faster than the other locks when the car was locked from the outside. It was all there.

He wasn't even looking through his own eyes anymore. He was looking from everywhere. And processing all of this information didn't even take him a second.

Ryus and the Volcarona also stared, wandering about the world around them. They felt the same as the Zoroark – connected to him. All that he felt, they felt. All that they felt, he felt. They were all joined together, and then to Six.

"_This is my power."_ Six called through their minds, speaking to each on a deep level. _"Now… shall we apply this power?"_

"_Yes."_ All three answered simultaneously through telepathy. Suddenly, their bodies were back. They could feel themselves and see again – but they could still sense every bit of aura and feel everything about them.

The car door opened. Nova slipped out, and closed the door behind her. She turned and walked backwards a few steps, watching the Pokémon on the roof.

"_Having fun there, boys?"_ She smirked. She knew what they were feeling.

"(How is this possible?)" The Zoroark still glanced around at the world, viewing everything through aura and his own eyes.

"_We call it "Simultaneous Remote Viewing". A term Six adapted from research into dreams. All life happens at once, however our minds are limited to how much they can take in at once. Simultaneous Remote Viewing – or "SRV" – however, lets us recognise all these things in one moment by unleashing the mind's full capacity and increasing it with aura. Combine this capacity for knowledge with Six's precise aura powers, and we can identify nearly everything going on around us. We can think at incredible speeds and perform highly complex tasks that none other could hope to achieve. When you experience SRV, the only limit is your physical body."_

"(…)" Ryus still stared at the sky.

"(So how does this make us powerful?)" The Zoroark asked, still taking in everything he could find.

"_How else?"_ Nova snorted. _"When you can feel and predict where every attack is going to land, you suddenly become very hard to hit. When you can't be hit, you can't be killed. When you can see every attack behind you and in front of you, and you have infinite time to decide how respond to these attacks. You can gauge the foe's distance, their strength, any weaknesses they have, anything in the environment you can use to your advantage, you can sometimes even guess how they will react to a counter-attack or block. With enough practice you can even visualise a subconscious Heads-up-Display, showing your own condition, distances and other vital information."_

"(Wait – if we can see where they attack us and dodge it… can we even be defeated?)"

"_Of course."_ Nova rolled her eyes. _"Some attacks are too large or too fast to dodge. We can plan ways to counter or dodge these attacks, but that doesn't mean our bodies are fast or strong enough to counter or dodge. Some enemies will strike us. We will know how to stop them, but they may be faster. They hit us before our bodies can move to dodge. SRV does not mean you are invincible at all. In fact – if you become overconfident, it can be your downfall. You will believe yourself unkillable, and put yourself in a position where you cannot defend or dodge. Then – you will be killed."_

The Zoroark gulped and nodded. "(I understand.)"

"_Do you?"_ Nova placed her paws on her hips. _"As this is your first experience with SRV, Six will be controlling you three."_

"What?"

"_NO arguments!" _Nova stepped forwards quickly, growling. The Zoroark growled a touch in response, but he shied away with a grunt. He knew better. As much as it pained him to admit it, Nova was right.

"(Very well.)" He conceded. "(I will do as he says.)"

Elise's eyes were welded shut. Sweat poured from her hot brow and onto the windowsill upon which her head lay. Her right hand groped the door handle tightly and trembled as her knuckles turned white.

Her breaths came ragged through her teeth – seething in pain as her head stung mercilessly.

"Hey! Elise!" Six called.

Elise's breath escaped as the pressure immediately subsided. Her hand on the door handle fell limp, and she moaned a little – relieved of her pain.

"What the hell?" Toby demanded – yet again.

"Are you alright?" Six leaned through the front seats a little.

"What… was that?" Elise clutched her head in her free hand. "That hurt _so much…"_

"Sorry about that…" Six smiled sheepishly. "I forgot that you're implanted. That feeling is what your Pokémon are sensing – but translated through your implants it doesn't work, and causes extreme migraines."

"_Migraines…?"_ Elise seethed. "YOU CALL THAT A MIGRAINE!" She exploded.

"Elise… I'd settle down if I were you." six stated calmly, despite Elise glaring at him red-faced.

"Why should i-" Elise halted suddenly. She gulped a little as her lips went dry. "She's behind me…"

"_I __**am**__ behind you."_ Nova affirmed darkly. Her face was pressed into Elise's window. _"I sure hope you weren't about to do something stupid…"_

"Sorry…" Elise sighed in shame and returned to her seat. "That just messed with my head… I can't think straight…"

"I'm blocking your implants with my aura." Six explained once Elise had settled. "Next time I'll include you in the SRV. That way you won't be overwhelmed like that."

"I would have appreciated it if warned me about that first…"

"Sorry." Six apologised again, falling back into his seat. "Well – the Pokémon on the roof are ready. Your Zoroark's going to carry the Cubone in, then hit the barrier. We're coming in behind that."

"And then?" Elise asked as she twisted the ignition.

"Just do what I say. Don't stop for anything, and trust that I know what I'm doing." As Six spoke, Nova pulled open the back door and slipped inside.

Elise nodded. She pulled on her most serious expression in a bid to psyche herself up, and took a deep breath. "_Just like the castle…"_ She whispered, and slammed the accelerator.

On the roof, the Pokémon felt the lurch coming. Tapping into his new RV senses and feeling the foot slam down, the Zoroark fell forwards onto his knees and gripped the roof with his free hand as shot forwards. He held Ryus against his chest with his free hand and braced his legs for a jump.

"(Are you ready?)" He called over the wind rushing past.

"(I'm ready for anything.)" Ryus murmured darkly. Barely audible. "(Life or death; victory or defeat. Let it come.)"

"(Um… okay…)" The Zoroark nodded despite being suddenly confused. He knew Cubones were sometimes dark, but this one was just _radiating_ sorrow at the moment.

The vehicle skidded around the next corner as Six passed instructions to Elise. "65."He instructed. Elise complied and shifted up a gear, bringing the speedo up to 65. The next corner was longer and more gradual, and Elise sped around it without pause. Reaching the end of the turn, they all found themselves facing down what Six had expected.

The road ahead was barred. On either side of the road, a solid concrete fortification bordered the road gap between. In a nest atop each tower, two soldiers stood guard with their Pokémon. Two Pokémon each. Four Pokémon in each tower. Across the road below them, a huge yellow-and-black striped barrier spanned the entire width of the road. On either side of the road it was locked into place by a pair of clamps. Just as Six had said.

"Accelerate to one hundred kilometres." Six instructed. "It's time."

Atop the car, the Zoroark shuffled about a little. "(Here we go!)"

"Coffee or cocoa?" A man glanced over his shoulder. His camouflage suit was baggy on him – being on the scrawny side.

"What happened to the tea?" A second man sitting at a table responded. A light bulb hung from the ceiling just above his head, casting a dull light across him and an awkward shadow across his newspaper.

"I don't know for sure." The first shrugged as he mixed a steaming cup of cocoa. "You, Greg and Mikey's the only ones who drink the stuff."

"I'll just have a coffee then." He shrugged. He returned his attention to the table before him, licked a finger, and turned over a page in his newspaper.

"Anything going on in the world?" The first asked after a moment in an attempt to make small-talk.

"Yeah, actually." The second man looked up with a grin. "There's _actually_ a war going on, over in Sinnoh." He stopped suddenly. Seemingly something had hit him. "Wait a second – we're in Sinnoh!"

"All right, smart-ass." The first man chuckled a little. He turned around and carried a cup of coffee to his friend, and sat opposite. The other took his cup with a friendly smile, and went back to his paper.

"If it really interests you, Google's gone down one point three percent."

"Oh, yeah?" The other nodded distantly. "How's Marie?"

"She's great." The other man brightened up a little suddenly. "Casey's three months old now. We've organised a Skype session this coming Friday. This is going to be my first time properly seeing her." He reached a hand into his pocket and scooped out a photograph. He smiled a bit and passed it across to the other man.

"You showed me this last week." The other man smiled also, turning the photo and looking over it again.

"I'm showing everyone." The other man laughed. "She's got my eyes. You can te-"

"GET OUT HERE!"

The man with the paper lurched – smacking over his cup of coffee in surprise. "Crap!" He jumped to his feet and pulled his paper out from underneath his cup. "Fuck it! I don't get another paper until-"

"There's a car coming! Fast!"

The men stopped and stared at one another. It took their brains a second to work it out, and they both grabbed pokéballs from their waists and rushed through the nearby doorway. The unwelcoming chill of the wind bit them immediately, but they rushed out into the road and stared down the road they guarded.

A red shape. Coming fast. That was all they needed to know.

They each dropped their two pokéballs. The first an Infernape and a Lucario, the second a Carnavine and a Luxray.

"Behind the barrier!" A man in a watchtower called to them. "They won't get through it, so you'll be safe!"

"East?" The first man called to the man in the tower.

"Negative!" The man in the tower lowered his binoculars. "Civvy vehicle. Occupants are dressed in civvy getups."

"So what the hell are they doing, then?" The second called up.

"I don't know, but-"

"Hey!" The first man's hand jerked up in the air. "What the hell is that?"

The other two traced the first's arm and finger into the sky. Up high, something dark crossed the sun.

The Pokémon hovered at their spot – gazing down below. The Zoroark held his arms around Ryus as the Volcarona beat its wings steadily to elevate them.

"(Here we go, then.)" The Zoroark murmured. He closed his eyes as Six's aura nudged him, and let it flow in.

Connecting with the Volcarona through both their neuroimplants and through their SRV link, the Zoroark tipped forwards. His wings went rigid as he fell forwards and he dropped into a rapid dive. He scanned the ground below one last time, marking their landing point as ten metres north of the barrier.

On the ground below, fire erupted upwards at them. An Infernape loosed a flamethrower, a Lucario fired a fusillade of aura spheres, and the Luxray shook its mane as it began charging power. The Zoroark and Volcarona immediately identified the trajectory of the flamethrower, and swooped around it as it seared past. They dived and ducked around as the column of flame swept and wavered all across the sky in an attempt to follow them, but they saw every swing early and avoided it. Next came the aura spheres and the thunder attack. The Zoroark released Ryus for a moment, but caught him in one hand. He threw him downwards just as the thunderbolt fired. The bolt cracked the air and shot towards them, but Ryus ended up between the attack and its target. The electricity coursed harmlessly through his body and sparked away into the air. The Zoroark then quickly beat its Volcarona wings and surged downwards to catch the Pokémon again.

Then came the aura spheres. Right on time – a separate fusillade of aura spheres intercepted those incoming. Nova had the aura spheres locked onto with her own, and fired hers at a higher velocity than the other Lucario to meet them. The aura spheres all collided metres below the Zoroark – detonating harmlessly in a cloud of blue vapour.

The Volcarona wings curled in for a moment, on Six's instruction. The trio increased in speed just a little without the added drag, but veered out of control in a nose dive towards the ground. Just at the last millisecond possible, the Volcarona unfolded its wings and flared them out. Their trajectory curved up as they neared the ground and shot along it, levelling out to a horizontal angle as Ryus transformed his bone into a blade. They were so close to the ground that Ryus' bone actually sparked against the pavement as they shot towards the barrier. It was purposeful – Six relied on the fractional friction of the blade on the ground to slow them the minuscule amount required for his manoeuvre to work.

He held his sword in both hands, and swung upwards as they neared it. At the last moment the Volcarona tilted its wings back, and they lifted _just _enough to make it over the barrier. At the same time – approaching _very _close behind – Elise rammed it.

The move was so precisely executed that Ryus' bone sword actually _touched_ the front bumper of the car just before he swung on the pass over top. Combining the strength of his swing with the added momentum of flight, his blade sliced straight through the barrier without any resistance. The Volcarona pulled up mid-way through his swing, and lifted just high enough that the roof wouldn't hit them.

The car hit the barrier not a second after it was sliced in two. The occupants lurched forwards on the impact, but the right side of the barrier snapped away from the last clamp holding it in place. The barrier exploded inwards. It snapped around and smashed into a hapless soldier who had been standing in the road still.

They were through.

The Zoroark flew right a fraction and dropped Ryus as they lifted. They had all timed their speeds perfectly. Ryus was flung through the air forwards at ninety-nine k's speed, the car was travelling at one-hundred k's speed, so the impact when Nova stuck her arm out the window and caught him was barely felt.

"(That was awesome!)" The Zoroark laughed as they lifted again, ignoring the cries of rage thrown after them by the soldiers.

"(That was great!)" The Volcarona cried, though his voice was muffled by the other's hair. "(Wait – hold on…)" He veered left as another flamethrower flashed past. "(Yeah, that was incredible!)"

"(Everything worked perfect…)" The Zoroark shook his head. "(The timing, the planning, the execution… that was brilliant…)"

"_Thanks."_ Inside the car, Six smiled._ "I do my best."_

"Reggie!" The first soldier dashed across the road. Sweat poured off his brow as he fell beside the soldier opposite.

The second soldier lay motionless. The huge barrier beam lay across his stomach, and blood smeared the concrete wall behind him which his body was crushed against by the barrier. The pavement beneath him too oozed red as blood drained from his shattered ribcage.

"Reggie…" The man's breath escaped him. The sight before him shook him to his core. One of his trembling hands reached for his pocket. He dug about awkwardly, and pulled the now-folded photograph from inside. He whimpered pitiably as he stared at the picture, shaking his head, and he slowly placed it on Reggie's chest. He placed it at the top on his breast. Right over his heart…

"I'm… I'm sorry…"

Every soldier deserves a name.

Every soldier is capable of feeling rage.

Every soldier can seek vengeance…

Review and stuff! I like to know how many people read these – oh wait, there's a system for that, isn't there?


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